The Marauders: Year Two
by Chambers10
Summary: With the world a seemingly less dangerous place after the capture of Robert Murdoch, everyone can look forward to a chaos free year this year, can't they? But when an evil rises that threatens to spread to every corner of the world it's up to Alec Potter to do what he does best, or is there another, darker, more sinister motive at work?
1. Chapter 1

**1463 Transylvania-Old Romania**

The sound of his plough hitting the ground rung out around the dark and desolate field. The night was still and cloudless as the farmer brought the plough scythe above his head and hammered away at the hard earth below him.

It had been almost a year since the news of Vlad the Impaler's death had spread to his homeland. The years of ternary where now over and they could concentrate on the more important things in life.

He hammered the ground again. The farmer looked up at the full moon, a small smile crossing his lips. His name was Gorkan Couschescu, he used to be a captain in the army led by the impaler himself. After His downfall he made his way home. Back to his wife and child, and the farm he left behind to join the army.

He had seen things in that time, things that no man should ever have to see. They didn't call him the impaler for nothing. You don't earn a nick name like that for showing mercy to his enemies. But now it was different, all behind him, and now he was going to have a normal life. It was hard, difficult, but it was his.

A sudden chill swept across the field. Gorkan looked up and around the isolated field. He scanned the clear field. Nothing, maybe it was just the wind. He went back to hammering away at the earth, only to feel another gust. He looked up again.

This time though, there was a cloud in the sky. It was black, dark and unnerving. And it was slowly heading straight for him. He looked down to see a low lying mist clawing its way towards him. The mist soon past him and covered the entire field that went for miles. Gorkan picked up his plough and made his way towards his home. He could finish this field in the morning after it had rained.

But as he walked back, he had the uneasy feeling that he was being watched. He tried to look behind him as discretely as possible, and only saw the low lying mist behind him with the dark cloud in the sky with the full moon shining bright in the sky. He breathed deeply and continued to walk back towards his home.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up on end, he knew he was being watched now. At least the army had taught him something. He turned round abruptly with his plough raised. Ready to attack any oncoming person. But again, nothing was behind him.

He shook his head, maybe he was imagining things. He breathed deeply and then turned away, back towards the house.

SKREEE!

He turned round again with the plough raised. But when he saw what was before him, he froze. It was grotesque, it looked like a man, but he had leathery skin, and his arms had bat wings flapping down from them. It let out another scream, It then bared its teeth which where dripping with blood.

Gorkan shouted in the vein hope someone could hear him. The beast roared before throwing him across the field. He somersaulted through the air before slamming into the already ploughed ground. He skidded along the ground with the dirt pulling up behind him tell he came to a stop. He groaned and looked up at the night sky.

The beast landed by the hole Gorkan had created. It landed and transformed, it was now a wearing a suit with coattails. He adjusted the cuffs and walked towards the hole without stretched arms with a grin on his face.

(Translated from Romanian.)

"Gorkan." He said, like he was greeting an old friend. Gorkan squinted his eyes at the dark figure in front of him. The voice was definitely familiar.

"Don't get up." He continued, "It's just an old friend dropping by to say hello." He walked down into the pit and his face became clear. Gorkan breathed in sharply, it was Vlad. Vlad the impaler

"No, no." said Gorkan shaking his head, "It can't be. I watched you die!"

"That you did." He said shrugging. "But as the old saying goes." He reached Gorkan and got on his haunches and grabbed his cheeks.

"You can't keep a good man down."

"But you're not a good man." Gorkan spat out. Vlad tightened his grip on Gorkan's face.

"That's a matter of opinion." Said Vlad coldly. "Now, you left me to die and decided not to carry on my work."

"But you died." Said Gorkan.

"Ah, yes. But I'm back. Me and Lucifer worked something out." Said Vlad. "Where now actually quite close."

"You would be."

"You know, I did hate that insolent tongue of yours." Said Vlad. "Constantly second guessing my decisions." He squeezed Gorkan's cheek tighter.

"I could kill you with a mere squeeze." He said lightly. "But…" he moved Gorkan's face to the side. "You can be the first to witness just one of my new powers." Vlad moved towards him. Gorkan struggled against the vice like grip as he got closer towards him. Vlad opened his mouth, his teeth though weren't human they were more likes spikes. Vlad's jaw then clamped around Gorkan's neck. Vlad let out a pleasurable groan as he sucked in the blood of his victim while Gorkan screamed out in pain. Suddenly, the screaming died down. Vlad then pulled away sharply. Blood seeping from his mouth, running down his mouth and onto his clothes. He was breathing deeply while dapping his finger in the blood protruding from his lips and slipped it into his mouth. He smiled at the taste as Gorkan's lifeless corpse dropped to the floor.

"Well, love to stay and chat." Said Vlad, "But, you know, places to go and that." He breathed deeply again.

"This is just the beginning."

 **1860-Genneva**

A young man looked up from his hood at the drizzle above him. He pulled his newspaper close to him and walked down the cobbled streets towards his apartment. He weaved in and out of a couple of people and then crossed the road, dodging a couple of horses before opening the door of his building. He walked inside and shook his coat down of all the excess water. He walked up the dilapidated stairs towards his apartment. He fumbled with his keys before slipping it into the lock. He opened the door and closed it.

"Doctor Frankenstein…" Frankenstein whipped round to see the intruder sitting in his chair. Expect, it wasn't who he was expecting. It was a woman. She was in her early twenties and was very pretty, though it was hard to see past the large tinted glasses she was wearing. She was wearing a raincoat and a scarf over her head, but it couldn't hide her blonde hair.

"Junior." Frankenstein's shoulders relaxed. He pulled his hood down, he had curled brown hair and blue eyes. He watched the woman carefully though as she smiled.

"Look, if you're looking for some exclusive on my father and his work then I'm afraid you are sorely mistaken." Said young Frankenstein. "Yes, he created what some narrow people believe to be a 'monster'. But those who see the big picture will see that he has helped save countless lives by discovering the possibilities of transplants and bringing back the recently deceased through means of electricity." He opened the door.

"So if you please, I would like to be left alone while I continue to live my life in peace." The woman giggled. Frankenstein pulled a face as she rose from the chair.

"No I'm not here for 'an exclusive' Doctor." She said, "I am quite familiar with your work. In fact." She got very close to him, so their bodies where almost flush.

"You could say I was rather excited by it."

"Who are you?

"My name is Francesca." She said. "I know about the stories about your father and his creation." She continued. "But I am not here for that. My employer has sent me to extend you an invitation."

"An invitation?" Frankenstein said confused.

"Yes." Francesca said. "He has been a huge fan of your father's work." She walked around the apartment. Victor couldn't keep his eyes of her body as she moved. It screamed confidence and sexuality as she put emphasis on each step.

"In fact, he wants you to continue to It." she said smiling. Victor narrowed his eyes at Francesca.

"Continue?" She nodded.

"My Employer wishes for you to carry on your father's work. As you said yourself, he was a pioneer to the enlightened. What better way to honour his memory by carrying on his work and discovering new possibilities." Victor stood still as Francesca walked to the fire place, she picked up a photo of his family. She smiled and placed it down again.

"So…what do you say."

"No." he said, "I promised my father that I would never continue his work as he said it would get my in trouble with forces far beyond my understanding." Francesca nodded.

"I understand." She said. She walked back towards the chair she had been sitting in. She bent over, making sure that Victor was looking at her and picked up a briefcase she had been hiding beneath the chair. She walked to the table and placed it down. She unclipped the attachments and opened it.

Victor looked over at the brief case and his jaw dropped. It was lined with money than he had seen in his life.

"One hundred thousand Swiss Francs." Said Francesca. "This is only a down payment. If you accept, you will have unlimited funds to carry on your research, this, and another generous amount for when it is done."

Victor bit his lip. It was certainly interesting. Having close to five hundred thousand Francs would be a ludicrous amount of money to own. The images of a thousand things he could do with the money swam through his head, houses, studs and all the girls he could think off. But the moral and ethical issues where too great. In theory, he was too dangerous to be left alive. He sighed and shook his head again.

"I'm sorry, I truly am." He said. "But my father's research is not to be continued at any price." Victor bowed his head. "I'm sorry." Francesca smiled and stood up from the table.

"So am I Doctor Frankenstein." She said with a small smile, she then took her scarf off and let her long blonde hair fall. "Because you see." She then took her glasses off to reveal her eyes, for the first time. Except they her irises where blood red.

"I was told to get you to agree to come with me. By any means necessary." She started to undo her coat. Victor raised his eyebrow, only for both of them to shoot up his head when he realised she wasn't wearing anything beneath the coat.

"And by any means necessary." She walked towards him and looked at him seriously. "I was instructed to give you what ever want." She leaned up on her tip toes so she could reach his ear.

"By any means necessary."

"You." said Victor a little breathless. Francesca nodded.

"My Employer wants you to have everything you want to help you continue your father's work." Victor was now breathing deeply as he inspected the naked woman offering herself to him. His breathing was becoming more and more erratic as Francesca raised a teasing eyebrow. Victor sighed in bittersweet defeat.

"God forgive me." He said. He kissed her and wrapped his arms around her.

Many moments later they were lying in the messy bed of Victor's flat. He was breathing deeply, he looked dishevelled and spent while Francesca didn't look like she had broken sweat at all.

"Your Employer." Said Victor. "He seems very interesting."

"That he is." Said Francesca. "He does get around a lot."

"So what is he? A Businessman? A philanthropist?"

"A little of both." Said Francesca distantly. "But he knows an opportunity when he sees it."

"What's his name?" asked Victor. "If I'm going to work with him, I should know his name?"

Francesca was quiet and was daydreaming as she looked out of the window. Rain had stopped and the sun was starting to seep in. She got up quickly and began to change.

"Did you hear me?"

"Yes, I did." Said Francesca. "And I will tell you in time. But for now we must leave, it is a long way to Transylvania."

"Where going to Transylvania?" said Victor shocked, but now getting changed.

"Yes." said Francesca as she reapplied her head scarf. "That is where your new laboratory is being built. So I suggest you pack everything that you will need."

"You still haven't told me who I will be working with." Said Victor as he gathered some files from around his apartment. He opened a secret file underneath his chest of draws and pulled out some more files.

"He's a very brilliant man." Said Francesca. "He works so much he could well be a creature of the night."

"Just like me." Victor chuckled. "I think we'll get on just fine with him. What's his name."

"He likes to called by a codename if that's ok." Said Francesca.

"That's fine by me." Said Victor. "What's his codename?" Francesca's mouth curled into a smile.

"Dracula." She said.

"Count Dracula."

 **1890-** **Transylvania**

The small orange light was nothing more than a speck in the distance. It looked beautiful against the driving rain and consequent thunder storm. To the naked eye it could have been the last reminisce of the sun set. But that wasn't the case, soon, the small dot became two, then three, then more and more. Then the noise of irate shouting as a mob came over the hill towards the castle. They were brandishing pitchforks and spades as they ascended up the steep and bogged down track to the old nobleman's castle, now known as Castle Frankenstein.

Lightning then shot down from the sky and hit the top of the castle. Inside the castle, where the upstairs dining hall was situated, there was something else at play. The reason for the angry mob. The room was full of complex gadgets and machines that's sole purpose was to help generate and amplify electrical current. All these machines though where linked to a table near the centre of the room. There was a corpse on the table, it was stitched together with stiches running all along its green putrid body.

Victor Frankenstein, he was much older and greyer from the first time he and Francesca had met. While he had grown old, she had not aged a day. In fact, it was almost like she hadn't changed at all in the thirty years they had known each other. Frankenstein then moved over towards one of the complicated machines and checked the reading. He then looked up at the high ceiling and watched the turbines spin faster and faster as the spare electricity built up, spreading the white lightning bolts in harmonious waves across the turbines. He needed it to build up more energy, before he could release the charge.

BANG

Victor's gaze went to the door. Outside, the villagers had brought a battering ram up to the castle's walls door. Even in the storm he could feel the shudder of the ram spread through the grounds. His focus was then placed imeadietly on the project at hand, he checked the read outs again and swore. He needed more power. One more lightning strike would do it.

BANG.

He didn't look this time. He knew the door wouldn't be able to last much longer. He looked up at the sky, a lightning bolt shot through the air. It connected with one of the many towers with rails which collected the power and relayed it down lots of mini transformers till it reached the turbine.

BANG.

The door shattered and the villagers then all clambered through, storming towards the castle doors. Victor looked up as another lightning bolt tore through the sky. It hit the transformer and the turbine storing the electricity was now blue with the power. Victor grabbed a huge switch. He looked towards the corpse before pulling it down. The turbine span faster and then blue lightning shot down two wires which were connected to the corpses brain.

When the electricity hit the corpse it surrounded it with a blue aura. Victor shielded his eyes as the process took hold.

BANG

He looked outside to see the villagers banging on the main doors with the battering ram. He then looked to the corpse and saw a finger tense.

"Come on, just a little more." He begged. The corpse's finger then relaxed. Victor had given up hope.

BANG

The corpses then made a fist. Victor let out a breathless laugh.

"It's alive." He said quietly. The corpse's legs began moving slowly.

"It's alive!" he said with more loudly as the creature opened its mouth, it let out a deafening roar.

"IT'S ALIVE!" The sky was now filled with flashes of lightning and roars of thunder at the creation of yet another abomination. Victor slumped against one of the machines, he wiped away the sweat that was building on his brow.

"SUCCESS!?" Victor scrambled back in shock as his employer appeared from nowhere. He was still a young man, he had long black hair in a ponytail and was dressed in nobleman clothes. He was good looking, though Victor had known him to be this way for the past thirty years, just like Francesca, he never aged.

"Oh, thank god Count, it's just you." he said relived. "I thought those savages had already broken in."

"I was beginning to lose faith Victor." Said Dracula. "Though." He looked out the window to see the villagers setting up the ram again.

"It's such a shame that your success had been overshadowed by a little thing called grave robbery." He turned to Victor and smirked. Victor smiled sheepishly.

"Well, then…" he then moved away from Dracula towards the creature he had created.

"We must leave this place." Said Victor. The creature was moaning softly as air filled it's partially decayed lungs. "Carry on our research." He looked back to where Dracula had stood. He frowned as the space was now empty, but the only way down was past him. He shook his head, the count was doing that all the time.

"Where have you left to run Victor?" He looked around to see where his voice was coming from. "Your…peculiar experiments have made you unwelcome in most of the civilised world." Victor was gathering his possessions

"Then I'll go away." said Frankenstein, he opened a chest and stuffed paperwork inside it. "Me and Fran, and the creation, we'll go far away, where no one will ever find us."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that Victor." He looked up to see Dracula walking on top of the turbines, he quickly went back to packing.

"The time has now come for me to take control of him?" Victor raised his head from the chest he was packing, put not looking over it.

"What are you saying?" asked Victor. The chest he was packing then slammed shut. He jumped back to see Dracula standing in front of him.

"Why did you think I brought you here Victor!" he shouted, "Why did you think I gave you the money to set up your experiments, gave you this castle to help set up your laboratory!"

"But…but Fran said you believed in my work. For the benefit of medicine." He said meekly, rubbing his hands together. The count regained composure and straightened his waist coat.

"But I do." He said. He walked away from the chest and towards the machines. "After literally going to hell and back to create life." He turned around to face Victor. "I have travelled to distant lands to no avail, I have sort the wisdom of magicians and sorcerer's. But none of them have been able to raise dead." Dracula then smiled.

"Unlike them, you father before you, and now you, you have accomplished what many conceived to be impossible." He continued. "You have created something that will give me hope."

"But…what does my creation have to do with this?" asked Frankenstein.

"Since that abomination is a result of my money, it must now serve its purpose." Victor stood up, concern all over his face. He started to back track.

"What purpose?" he asked gingerly. Dracula grinned.

"He will give life to the rest of my kind." He said. "My brides have laid the bodies of a million baby Vampires. Your creature will be an avatar for their life."

"But…they'll kill innocents." Said Victor. He shook his head.

"No, no I would rather kill myself then help with this monstrosity." He hit the table where the creature let out a strangled cry.

"Well you can." Said Dracula like it was a viable option. "I really don't need you anymore." He walked over towards the table.

"I just need him." said Dracula looking down at the monster.

"I could never allow my work to be used for such evil." Said Victor. Dracula smirked.

"I could." He said now looking at Victor. "In fact." He started to walk towards him. Victor backtracked towards the wall.

"My brides have been insisting upon it." The blood drained from Victor's face. He hit the wall.

"Fran!" he shouted. "Francesca."

"Yes Victor." Victor turned round to see Francesca by his side.

"He's a monster." He said pointing at Dracula, who feigned hurt.

"Victor my love." Said Fran. "You have been kind. Thoughtful towards me." She continued. She then stood away from him and moved towards Dracula.

"But my heart belongs to him." she said looking up lovingly at Dracula.

"But…Fran…"

"It was never real love Victor." She said. "We could never be together fully, I was instructed to give you what you wanted, you wanted to my body, so I gave it to you." Victor started to cry. The love he had known for so long was now a lie, exposed, she never loved him.

"And now your creation is alive." She said, "We no longer need you." Victor pulled the sword from behind him and pointed it at both of them.

"Stay Back!" he warned. Both of them smiled.

"You can't kill me Victor." Said Dracula. He walked forward and the tip touched his chest, he then impaled himself on the sword.

Victor's eyes almost bulged out of his head as Dracula made his way down the sword till he was standing right in front of Victor.

"I'm already dead." He said. He grabbed Victor, the sword still impaled in his chest, he then opened his mouth. He sank his teeth into Victor's neck, Dracula sucked the blood and pulled the sword from his own body. He then unceremoniously threw the Doctor's body to the floor.

"You were right my dear." Said Dracula wiping his mouth, he sauntered over to her. She was standing by the table looking down at a bare table.

"Where is it?" said Fran. "The creature, where is it?"

"RAGHHHH!" They both turned round. One of the machines came hurtling towards them. It hit them and they crashed into the wall. The creature walked to its creator, it groaned and picked Victor up. He started to limp towards the exit of the castle, it clumsily opened the latch to a spiral staircase and limped down.

Inside the lab, the machine that was pressed on the wall was thrown back across the lab. Dracula and Francesca emerged from the wreckage. Dracula adjusted his waistcoat and placed some hair behind his ear. He screamed and sprouted wings.

The monster made its way outside into the rain with its dead master in his arms. It's primitive mind urging him towards the next piece of shelter he could find. The only thing in sight was an old wooden windmill he creature cried out and made its way towards it.

"OVER THERE!" the creature turned its head to see the villagers. "It's heading for the windmill, come on!" The creature wailed and limped its way towards the windmill. The villagers with their makeshift weapons made their way to the windmill. The creature stumbled in placed the barricade over the door. It stumbled up, smashing bottles from the alcoholic keeper as it made its accented towards the top.

Outside the villagers were gathered around it. "Burn it!" shouted one. "Burn it to the ground!" The villagers then threw their torches onto the wooden structure. Slowly the building began to catch fire. The groaning of the monster still audible as it climbed the stairs. It opened a door near the top and was on a platform looking down at the villagers with the doctor still in its arms.

The shouting from the crowd died down. They all looked up at shock at the monster at the top of the burning building.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" They all stepped back. The men that were filled with such confidence where now scared as the monster was now looking down at them. Its eyes scanning for the first time, the savagery of man.

"WHU-WHU-WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" it shouted.

PSHIIT

The villagers turned round to see two dark figures fly through the roof of the castle. Their wings where beating strongly against the weather. Then, from the mountains surrounding the castle two more figures emerged.

"Vampires!"

"Run for your lives!" The villagers began to run away from the scene as the four vampires came closer towards the wind mill. The monster looked down at its master, dead in its arms. The floor creaked from underneath it. He looked at the four advancing figures and the floor gave away. The monster screamed as it was engulfed in a tomb of fire and burning wood.

Dracula landed and resumed his human form. Francesca and the rest of his brides landed on the ground beside him.

"My love." Said Francesca. Dracula didn't say anything, he just watched the fire crackle. He then turned away and faced his brides. Francesca, blonde, Amelia, the red head, and Rosanna, the brunette. His life force ran through them, and they trusted him the bring their children to life. He looked back to the fire.

"It seems that the good doctor has taken the secret to life, to his grave." HE turned round again.

"But we will find a way." He said.

 **1964**

Lyall Lupin stared down at the man before them. He was dirty, unkempt, wild bird nest hair along with huge sideburns and a beard. But there was something that Lyall didn't quite trust. The rest of the department, The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures weren't so wary.

"Why did you bring this guy here?" The head of the department, Walter Rithbridge. Lyall turned to him, his slightly curly brown hair and stubble showed the features of a man who had been hunting for a long time.

"He was caught by the murder of two children with a werewolf pack." Said Lyall. He stared down at the cage holding the man. "But, the werewolf registry is so badly maintained we don't know whether he is or not."

"He doesn't look like one." said Rithbridge.

"Looks can be deceiving." Said Lyall. "But you know werewolves." He looked at the guy. This was a tactic Alec Potter taught him. Demine them to provoke a reaction.

"Soulless, evil, deserving nothing but death." The man twitched and looked up at Lyall. He growled at him and then looked forward.

"Looks you guys." He said. "I'm just a tramp, I have no home, look. I'm really sorry what happened to them two kids, but, you know, I had nothing to do with it, you have to believe me!" Rithbridge frowned and looked down at his papers.

"Mister Greyback. After hearing your account of these tragic events, it is now for this council to decide your fate. Please wait while we deliberate." The four men filed out of the room to the back of the room.

"Well gentlemen. What do we think?" Asked Rithbridge.

"Innocent."

"Nothing for doing, poor blokes at the wrong place, wrong time." said the other. "What do you think Lyall?" Lyall was watching Greyback through the two way mirror.

"Lyall?"

"They used to teach the Auror's that evil always lurked in the shadows." Said Lyall. "Until one day, an Auror named Teddy Stone made them change it, he changed it to Evil almost always lies in plain sight." He looked back at the men. "Because it's the easiest place to hide."

"What's that got to do with this case Lupin?" asked Rithbridge.

"This is evil in plain sight." Said Lyall. "He's a werewolf. The signs are all there."

"What signs?"

"How the hell did you get in this department if you don't know that." Said Lyall. "Look, give it twenty four hours, after the full moon. You'll see."

"Lyall unless you have solid evidence that he is a werewolf we can't hold him. He's a muggle."

"It's only a day." Said Lyall. "One day, and where going to wipe his mind anyway, no harm done."

"Lyall. This is unethical, you have to get evidence."

"I'll get Alec Potter to do it, he owes me a favour."

"You can't, he's retired." said Rithbridge.

"As I said. He owes me a favour."

"Enough." Said Rithbridge. "I'm sorry Lyall, I really am but he's got no connection to this, he has to be let go, the evidence is overwhelmingly in his favour."

"For fucks sake, it's only one day!" he shouted.

"If you want to be dismissed from this task force then carry on!" He said. "However, if you wish to remain on this team then shut up and accept the decision!" Lyall swallowed hard. This job was his life, he wanted it so much.

"…Fine." He said.

"Excellent." Said Rithbridge. "Now, let's deliver the verdict." The four men walked back through and sat back down. Lyall though just looked down at him with steely eyes. Even though he didn't agree with the verdict, he wanted him to know he couldn't hide for long.

"Mister Greyback, after extensive deliberation with my colleagues, Mr Herman Gallows, Mister James Day, and Mister Lyall Lupin, we at The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures have decided to release you without charge."

Greyback punched the air in delight while Lyall scowled at him.

"You will now go with the Custode who will wipe your memory. Sorry for inconveniencing you sir." He was led away. He looked back though at Lyall, and although he couldn't be sure. He was certain that Greyback smirked at him.

"Ok Sir, where just going to use a small charm on you to alter your memory." Said one of the Custodes walking out. "And then you'll be let go."

"Thanks, but the charm won't be necessary." The Custodes looked at each other with confused looks.

"Won't be-" Greyback shrugged them off with a burst of strength and bared his razor sharp teeth. One of the Custodes got to his feet to try and stun him with Greyback punched him into the corridor wall. He then picked up the other Custode and snapped his neck, his body falling to floor with a thud. A curse then smashed the roof above his head.

"STOP!" Greyback turned and saw Lyall Lupin with his wand prepped for another hit. Greyback ran off down the corridor. Lupin running to keep up with him. Greyback skidded round the corner and saw two more Custodes.

"Stop that man!" shouted Lyall. Greyback though had already jumped over them. He grabbed one of them by the shoulders mid-flight and thrown him down the corridor into a security door. He grabbed the other in head lock as Lyall came round the corner.

"Nowhere to run." Said Lyall. "Let him go." Greyback snarled and then bit down on the Custodes neck. Blood squirted out of the wound and Greyback let him fall to the floor and then ran. Lyall ran up to the Custode, he was going to die if Lyall couldn't stop the bleed.

"Looks like you have a choice on your hands." Said Greyback looking back at Lyall. "He'll die if you pursue me, but, is one life worth all the ones you could probably save by catching me?" Lyall seethed. What he wanted to do and what he should do playing hard on his mind. After a second of mental deliberation he kneeled down tend to the Custode.

"You're weak, and it will be your downfall." When Lyall looked up, Greyback was gone.

"Don't worry." Said Lyall as he turned back to the Custode. "You'll be just fine."

* * *

"Did they catch him?"

"No, he'd gone by the time back up arrived." Said Lyall. He walked round to his side of the bed and slipped inside. His wife, Hope Lupin gently rubbed his stomach and snuggled up closer to him. "I could see it, I only I had the evidence to do so." Hope tossed her blonde hair back.

"So, where do you think he is now?" she asked. Her brown eyes looking up at him.

"Somewhere far away from here." Said Lyall as he flicked the night light off.

"At least I hope he is."

But deep in the shadows, between the trees, there was something watching the house. It was panting, heavily, its eyes fixated on a small boy.

Fresh Meat.

It bounded out of the woods at the front of the house and stopped. It then silently climbed the drain drip and looked at the dark room with the man and his wife. Its paw went out to open it, but it was locked.

It then moved across to the other side, the window was unlocked.

It moved in silently as if fluid and looked around. The room was bright and full of toys. It then looked to the left and there was a small boy inside the bed. It got to the edge of the bed and growled.

He could hear the heartbeat of the boy increase as he looked around and then settled again. It then snarled and rose up from the edge of the bed. The boy screamed.

Its jaws sinking into the boys flesh. There was a banging sound and the hit of a curse as he tumbled out the window.

He now needed a place to hide, because although he was injured, the damage had been done.

 **Saint Mungo's**

Lyall was sitting in a waiting room with his head in his hands. How could he of let this happen, how could he of been so careless, his son, his only, attacked by that monster, and he wasn't there to protect him. Lyall was sitting next him and holding onto this hand very tightly. What Greyback had told him running through his mind.

" _Is one life worth all the ones you could probably save by catching me?"_

In that moment, he wished he let that Custode die.

"This is all my fault." He said shaking his head. "All my bloody fault. If, only I had lobbied louder. If, if only I hadn't said that stupid thing!" He broke down into his wife's lap how stroked his hair soothingly.

"It'll be ok." She croaked. "I just have to pray it will all be ok." She pulled his face up and framed it in her hands.

"All will be well."

"Mr and Mrs Lupin." Lyall and Hope looked up to see the doctor looking gravely down at him. He went to speak but then didn't.

"Is he ok?" asked Hope. "How's my boy?"

"Why don't you step into my office." Lyall and Hope followed him into a small medical office. He sat down behind his desk.

"Mr and Mrs Lupin this is going to be very hard to take and understand. Your son is ok, and he will be fine." Lyall and Hope looked at each other surprised. "But, he will never be the same again." Both faces dropped.

"What do you mean, never be the same again?" asked Lyall.

"There's no easy way to say this…your son was attacked by a werewolf…the attack wasn't to kill, but…to pass on the curse." Hope began to weep.

"He's a werewolf now as well."

* * *

"Mum, I don't feel so well." Said Remus, he was sitting at the table with his head in his hands, his food barely touched in front of him.

"I…know, sweetheart." She said, it was his first full moon since the accident, and he had been ill for the last couple of days. The two parallel scars that went down his cheeks now stood out as sore reminders of what had happened to him.

"Now come on, we have to get you ready." Remus pushed his chair out and followed his mum out the kitchen and down the hall to the basement. Remus looked over at his mum who nodded encouragement and they walked down the steps to a huge metal door and the bottom of it.

Inside, Lyall was waiting for them.

"Why are we coming down here?" asked Remus.

"It's for your own good honey." Said Hope with tears in her eyes. They walked to the centre of the room where there was a pole hammered into the ground with a length of thick rope with a collar at the end of it.

"What's that for?" asked Remus. Hope sniffed.

"It's for you." she barely got the words out. She kneeled down in front of her son. She smiled and brushed some of his fringe out of his eyes.

"I love you so much Remus." She said. "You know that, don't you."

"Of course I do mum." Said Remus. Hope smiled more.

"But I don't understand, what's going on, why are we down here?" Hope bowed her head. Lyall came down and kneeled down next to her.

"Remus, you're going to be going through some changes over the next few months." He said. "And…there going to be challenging. So you have to promise to be a big strong boy for us, ok?"

Remus nodded, even though he didn't know what was really going on. Lyall then got the collar and placed it round his son's neck.

"We love you son." He said kissing the top of his head. Hope, who was now in tears was helped up by Lyall and he gently walked her out.

"Mum, dad, where are you going?" asked Remus, "You're, you're not going to leave me down here are you?" Hope cried more and more as Lyall led her out of the steel door.

"Mum! Dad!" he cried, tears streaming down his face.

Lyall turned back round and saw his son starring so innocently at him, it really did break his heart to see it happening, and, it was all his fault it was happening to.

"MUM!"

With a heave, he closed the steel door and bolted it shut.

 **1971**

The years had taken their toll on Hope. Nearly five years had come and gone since Remus's accident and it hadn't got any easier. He had been a very good boy but it was getting harder now the wolf inside him was getting bigger. Hope was looking at herself in the mirror.

Her once youthful skin was strained and starting to wrinkle with bags under her eyes and now greying hair. She looked down at the sink before her and looked at the small hipflask and the now full bottle of scotch that was in her other hand.

She always promised herself, every day for five years that today was the day she poured the bottle down the plughole than the flask.

But alas, as she unscrewed the bottle.

Today was not that day she thought as the liquid filled up her bottle and screwed the top on it. Despite her name, she seemed to of lost all hope of her son having a normal life.

He would have to be dependent on them for the rest of his life. He couldn't possibly have gone to school, muggle or the magic one that Lyall went to, it was crazy, just too farfetched. Someone would have noticed it straight away.

She placed the flask on the inside pocket of her cardigan and walked out towards the front door where the post lay.

Hope sighed.

Amongst the usual bills and junk mail lay another letter on top with green writing on the top. Hope slowly bent down and picked it up. She looked over her shoulder at the kitchen where Remus was eating his breakfast. He had been down about his letter, that he hadn't received one. But Hope opened the door to the cupboard under the stairs and placed this one on the top of a neat stack of identical letters.

She couldn't see how Remus would be allowed into school with his affliction. The world still treated werewolves with fear and contempt. There were even rumours of them being segregated into their own society.

"Has the post been mum?"

"Yes dear." Said Hope closing the door.

"Has my letter come yet?"

"No." said Hope ruffling his hair. "Don't worry dear. Soon." She kissed him on the head and went to the kitchen counter.

"Hey." Lyall came in and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm heading off to work."

"Have a nice day." Said Hope smiling at him. They were interrupted by a knock on the door. All three looked over at each other and then the door as it knocked again.

Lyall went towards the door and opened it. Standing in front of him in purple robes with his tall hat and long white beard. Professor Dumbledore.

"Ah…Professor Dumbledore?" Lyall said confused.

"Hello Lyall." Said Dumbledore. "Do you mind if I?" He gestured inside.

"Yes, yes of course." Said Lyall standing aside and showing him in. Dumbledore walked into the kitchen and saw Remus at the table.

"Hello I'm Albus Dumbledore." He said smiling warmly. "Lyall's old teacher. And this must be Remus." He said looking at Remus. "What is that you're reading?"

"Jonathan Croak, Sir." Said Remus timidly.

"Ah, a fine read." He said. Lyall had now joined them in the kitchen.

"Uhm, professor, what are you doing here?" asked Lyall.

"I wouldn't be here if you had answered our letters." Said Dumbledore looking back at them. Lyall looked stunned while Hope placed her head in her hands.

"What!" Remus pushed his seat out and was now staring at them both. "I've had letters and you didn't tell me!"

"Remus, listen-"

"No!" said Remus. "I've been waiting for this for years and you kept it from me!"

"It was for your own good." Said Hope.

"Like-"

"Remus." The simple utter of the word made him silent. "Your parents love you very much, and they have had nothing but your best interests at heart." He said. "The reason I am here is so we can discuss the arrangement of your, Uhm...little problem." Everyone looked on stunned at the old man.

"Professor-" Dumbledore held up his hand for silence.

"Can you please leave us for a moment while we discuss this." He asked. "You may also just want to finish your book." he said handing it back to him. "I hear it has a very good ending." Remus looked back at the old man and then at his parents before walking away slowly.

"Look, Professor I-" Again, he held his hand up.

"You needn't explain." Said Dumbledore looking at them both. "I know that Remus is a werewolf." They both looked at each other in astonishment.

"How?"

"A mutual friend, Alec Potter, heard Fennier Greyback bragging about how he attacked the son of a man in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures." Said Dumbledore.

"They don't call him the World's Greatest Detective for nothing."

"Clearly." Said Lyall. "But…Professor, how can we send our son to Hogwarts. He's a werewolf, have you seen on the news about how they are segregating these poor people."

"I know." Said Dumbledore. "But that shouldn't mean that it should deprive Remus of an education. What was your plan for him if I hadn't come knocking on your door?"

Both Lyall and Hope looked at each other.

"I was going to home school him." said Lyall. "We can't allow him to be exposed to the outside world."

"And then what."

"We, uh, didn't discuss that."

"And what happens when he becomes a bigger werewolf, a stronger werewolf." Said Dumbledore. "Are you going to be strong enough to stop him when he is an adult werewolf?"

"Are you strong enough?" Asked Lyall fiercely. "Because you don't look strong enough."

"Physique isn't the only indication of strength." Said Dumbledore. "As you are aware. Your strength charms alone can't hold your son during his transformation. As he becomes older, he will become stronger, far too much for one man to control." Lyall bowed his head.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Lyall?"

"This is my old teacher." Said Lyall to Hope. "If anyone can help him, it's him." Hope shook her head.

"Like all those bloody potioneers you took him to!" said Hope. "Having him prodded and poked and force fed potions, where did that get you!"

"Hope, please."

"I understand your trepidation." Said Dumbledore. "But keeping him tied up in your basement praying he doesn't get out isn't a long term solution."

Hope and Lyall both knew he was right. But who else could they trust with this. It was their son, what if he was bullied, or ridiculed…what if he was ousted, and persecuted, or worse still, he was killed.

"The Potter's own an old building on the outskirts of Hogsmede, its old and dilapidated, and much gone by for human habitation." Said Dumbledore. "But, it has a secret tunnel in the basement that leads to Hogwarts."

"And what use does an old Potter house have for us." Said Lyall. "That just means one day that some student will find him, either Remus will pass on the curse or worse." Hope gulped and looked away. Her Remus wasn't capable of such a thing, but the wolf on the other hand.

"Professor Sprout has forever pestered me for a whomping willow." He said. "I have always said no because they are a danger for students, the violent branches and temperamental nature. But, now, I can see a reason why we should."

"I don't understand?" said Lyall.

"Every month, Remus will go to this house to transform, Alec assures me that it can stand up to the strongest punishment, it was built by his ancestor during the giant wars. Remus will be able to transform in peace, and not be able to get out into Hogsmede, the whomping willow will protect any student from wondering across him."

Hope stammered "So, Remus-"

"Remus will be able to go to school. And transform in peace." He said. Hope's eyes began to sting with tears. She…she hadn't thought of Remus going to school for years, and, now, by some miracle, he now was. The tears flowed and she hugged him fiercely.

"Thank you." she barely said it, but was sure that it was out there somewhere, and that she knew her gratitude had come across.

"If we take the necessary precautions, there is no reason he can't." said Dumbledore. "Alec has already placed the necessary charms round the building to protect it further. It won't be disturbed by the villagers or the Students." Dumbledore smiled at the small family.

"There is a reason to hope again."

Later, after Dumbledore had left and the details finalised, Hope was in the bathroom again, but this time, with a smile on her face and found herself in the same position she was this morning.

Bottle in one hand, flask in the other.

She smiled widely and she poured both down the sink. Who knew today was the day.

 **The Marauders Proudly Present: The Marauders Year Two**

 **Chapter One**

 **Cryptozoology**

 **Written By Chambers10**

* * *

 **Hi everyone, sorry about the wait for this but I really got into the grove of writing this, I thought I'd only have a ten or twelve chapters by this point by I have twenty eight. Yes, 28, including the ending, I just need to write about five more and I need to connect them all but the first five are finished and ready to put out.**

 **Speaking of which I'll be updating every Saturday until it's finished, and after I've finished year two it'll be straight onto year three which I have a tonne of notes for already. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please review.**

 **Happy reading.**

 **Chambers.**


	2. Chapter 2

_We passed upon the stair,_

 _We spoke of was and when,_

 _Although I wasn't there,_

 _He said I was his friend,_

 _Which came as some surprise._

Lily was lying on the grass in her back garden listening to the radio. She was looking up at the cloudless sky, just enjoying the slight breeze that blew across her garden. She liked the way it felt on her legs, and feel of the grass in between her toes. That's how slow the summer had been for Lily.

 _I spoke into his eyes,_

 _I thought you died alone_

 _A long, long time ago._

She was three weeks into her six week holiday and life was moving to slow for her liking.

"Who knows…?" she sang, her foot moving along to the beat.

"Not me. We never lost control." She hummed along to the beat.

Her mum had taken her wand from her, twice. Maybe stealing it back wasn't the best idea she ever had. Her mum had said that she had good reason to take it away from her. Making the sofa belch every time Petunia went near it wasn't considered a joke. Or a platform to show of what she had learned.

 _Your face…two face. With the man who sold the world._

So now that was under lock and key somewhere as she was told she had to be content with what she had. This to her didn't seem like an awful lot. She did have brief moments of how lucky she was to still be here. Considering she was kidnapped by a wizarding terrorist at the end of the year. That was a story to tell her sister. Though her dad said it was the wrong sort of thing to bring up. Though her Grandfather found it interesting. He was part of the reason she tried to get her wand back, to show him some new tricks.

"That was David Bowie with his new Number One hit, the man who sold the world. I mean, it's the biggest hit out there, if you haven't heard it, where the hell have you been!"

"Good question." Said Lily to herself.

Her mind wondered again to Hogwarts. The spires, the grounds, the woods, the lake, the castle itself, her friends. She sighed. Her friends.

She didn't have an owl to send mail to her friends, she could only send them replies. It seemed now that life was so much more boring when there wasn't magic around. She still saw Sev though most days. A small portal to the world she had left behind. They would talk about how much they missed their adopted home, the lessons, the food. Sev went on about Quidditch, which Lily didn't mind, until it came to that name.

One that had seemed to plague her all summer. The name that came up almost every time they had a conversation. Even her parents where obsessed by the name. It drove her up the wall, mainly because it showed her that there was someone smarter than her, and a mistake she once let control her. Letting her heart foolishly rule her head.

Potter.

The grinning idiot would somehow sneak his way into any and every conversation she would have with anyone from the magical world. In her parents case they were besotted with the boy as they saw him as some saviour (Which was right, but she pretended to agree with Sev and say it was his own arrogance that got them caught in the first place.) that saved their helpless little girls life. She was even more mortified when she found out that her dad had even met Potter's dad over the summer. When her mother told her it was irrational for her to hate him.

It was these times that Lily would tell her she wouldn't understand. Then come out here and enjoy nature for a short while.

"That makes her the third person to vanish this week, in other news, there has been an outbreak of tuberculosis in Romania, even though deaths have been put to hundreds the Romanian Government has declined assistance."

Lily flipped her radio off with her toe. She sat up, picked up her radio, and went back inside the house.

"Mum, can I have my wand back?"

"For the last time Lily, no." said Lavender. "I don't want my furniture farting at all times of the day thank you."

"Mum, it was only a joke."

"A joke that could kick you out of a school that you so happen to like going to." Said Lavender.

"Can't I just hold it?"

"What do you think."

"Yes?"

"And your teacher said you were one of the smartest in your year." Said Lavender shaking her head. "Lily, there are rules in place for a reason, I'm sure none of your friends are doing magic illegally."

"But most of my friends already knew they were witches and wizards." Argued Lily. "At least they can still see it."

"Well why don't you ask to stay at one of their houses." Said Lavender.

"I don't know." Said Lily. Lavender rolled her eyes in frustration, she half hoped she wasn't this frustrating when she was Lily's age.

"Well why don't you go with your dad to the Potter's, speak to James, there you go." Lily folded her arms.

"I'd rather spend time with Petunia's friends." Said Lily sourly.

"I don't get it. You fancied James and now you hate him, what changed?" asked Lavender. Lily sighed, she'd wondered that herself. He had been a source of her fantasies, but the day she saw him bullying Sev was all she had to see to go off him, much like the Slytherin's who had bullied Peter Pettigrew. And yet he had stopped that, did he only look out for people in his own house, everyone else had to look after themselves? The door opened and Lily's dad came into the dining room.

"Hey girls." He said, he kissed Lavender and sat at the table.

"When are you going to see Alec next?"

"On Saturday, why?"

"Well Lily wanted to come with you." said Lavender.

"What? No, no I don't!" said Lily.

"Well you'd be there by yourself." Said John as he opened his newspaper. "He said that James has gone to California for the next couple of weeks."

"What?"

"Yeah he's gone to spend a couple of weeks out there with a girl he knows." Lavender glared at John who then looked confused. Realisation then dawned on him as he then looked at Lily who had her head bowed with strands of hair hiding her face.

"But I'm sure there are typhoons there." Said John.

"Hurricanes. Typhoons only happen in Asia." Said Lily. "Excuse me." She got up from her seat and made her way in to the hallway to her parent squabbling when the front door opened. Petunia walked in with her friends behind her. Lily groaned inside her head. SO much for getting away from it all she thought.

"What are you doing here?" asked Petunia viciously. In the year she had been away it was clear to see that Petunia was a little older, at fourteen and was now starting to become bitchier by the day in Lily's eyes, as her previous comment suggested.

"I live here." Said Lily.

"You wouldn't have guessed." Said Petunia as her friends walked in.

"Is this her, the Christian reform sister." Asked Cerise. She was short and fat with dark brown pigtails. She looked down on Lily with a distasteful look as she walked in. "She doesn't look very disorderly."

"Looks can be deceiving." Said Gwen. She, if possible was thinner than Petunia, she was looked sickly and was very bony, her blonde hair was back in a ponytail as she eyed Lily with distaste. "She could be planning something right now. Are you sure it's alright to have her staying here?"

"I asked my parents the same thing." Said Petunia. "Apparently, she'll be fine, so long as she takes her medication." Lily rolled her eyes.

"Well then, best you let me through." Said Lily, "Before I have another episode." She pushed past them and into the living room. A mischievous smile appeared in the corner of her mouth. "We wouldn't want another accident now do we." She said as she walked towards the stairs.

"What do you mean accident?" asked Cerise. Lily looked back.

"Didn't Petunia tell you?" asked Lily. They looked nervously at Petunia who had now gone ghostly white.

"Lily-"

"Pyromaniac." Said Lily with a slight grin. "I have a habit of setting tied back hair on fire, got the cane for doing it." Both Cerise and Gwen held onto their pigtails and pony tail respectively as Lily walked up the stairs to her room.

"She didn't really set girls hair on fire did she?" asked Gwen.

"Don't be stupid!" said Petunia shrilly. Lily giggled into her hand as she scampered to her room and closed the door. She grabbed her book from the bedside table and walked to her record player on the bed side table and got out the new album her mum had got for her.

Who's Next!

Lily slipped the vinyl out and placed it.

The rhythmic guitar sound blared out, it made Lily smile.

"Out here in the fields!" She sang while dancing around the room.

"I fought, for my meals! I get my back into my living!" Lily played air guitar to the beat.

"I don't need to fight, to prove I'm right!"

"I don't need to be forgiven!" Lily danced, completely blocking out the sound of her mother's footsteps. Lavender went to open the door and saw her daughter dancing. She smiled, forgetting all the times she looked in here and saw nothing, but now it was so full of life and vibrancy again.

"Don't cry.

Don't raise your eyes.

It's only teen-age wasteland!" She beat pretend drums mid-air.

"Lily." she wasn't listening, to warped up in her own little world.

"Sally take my hand! We'll travel south cross the land."

"Lily!"

"Put out the fire! Don't look past my shoulder."

"Lily!" Lily turned quickly and the disc stopped playing. Lavender should have looked surprised, but she was used to Lily using small magic around the room.

Lavender walked into the room which disturbed Lily from her dancing. She looked up dazed at her mother. Lavender folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at her.

"A Pyromaniac who sets fire to girls who have their hair tied back." Said Lavender, "Who has got the cane five times for doing so." Lily started to smirk.

"Lily-"

"It was a bit of fun." Said Lily walking over to her window seat.

"Lily, you can't say things like that." Said Lavender, "You might get yourself into trouble."

"So shall I tell them that I'm a witch who goes to a magical boarding school that teaches me Potions and Transfiguration." Lavender closed her eyes.

"No Lily." Lavender walked to the window seat and sat down opposite her. She sighed, Lily folded her arms, there was a little lesson coming now.

"…Lily, this situation is delicate to say the least." Said Lavender, "I know you were only trying to tease your sister but her friends can take that as truth."

"So I'm just supposed to let them think I'm a nutter." Said Lily folding her arms and scowling. "That I go off and really do set girls hair on fire." Lavender shook her head.

"I don't know Lily." said Lavender.

"This is your fault."

"I know." Said Lavender. "And I can't find a way to fix it."

"I wish everyone knew I was a witch." Said Lily, "Then there wouldn't be any sneaking around or telling lies. Maybe I should just stay here all summer."

"Come on Lily, be practical." Said Lavender.

"No, I mean it." said Lily seriously. "You can bring me food, clean my clothes." She held up her book. "A new book every week, and then send me off the Hogwarts at the start of the year. I'll be fine." Lavender smiled.

"No, no I don't think so." She said, "Because you won't be able to help me bake, would you."

"I might come down for that." Said Lily smiling.

"And I can't just pick out books for you anymore." Said Lavender.

"Well I might come down for you to choose."

"Don't give me that." Lavender gathered Lily in a hug and kissed the top of her head. "We're all very glad your home, and I know it's difficult readjusting, but please no stories about fire starting."

"Ok." Said Lily, "But admit it, you laughed to."

"Only a little." Said Lavender. "But there is another reason I came up here. Your father has been invited to this garden party to do with work."

"Oh ok." Said Lily.

"And it means that we all have to go to it."

"Petunia included."

"Yes, Petunia included." Said Lavender. "So we need to get you a few things, apparently this thing is a black tie event."

"Black tie?"

"It's a phrase." Said Lavender. "So we need to get you and Petunia something to wear."

"When's this?" she asked.

"Next week." Said Lavender, "So we need to go shopping soon I guess you're not doing anything?"

"Nothing important." Said Lily. "I've been going through three books a week. I might need to go my shopping for some new material."

"Do you need new books for next year?" asked Lavender.

"Apparently I do." Said Lily, "Plus we need to visit your favourite shop as well." Lavender's face went sour.

"Your ingredients you need to get on your own." Said Lavender shuddering. "And the third thing, dinners served." Lavender walked out and Lily joined her as Petunia walked beside her.

"That wasn't funny what you said earlier." She said in a constricted tone. "Mum had to convince Cerise and Gwen you were teasing them."

"Well I was." Said Lily pleasantly. "Don't get so mad about it."

"So long as you don't do anything weird at this party thing next week we can call your home time a success." Said Petunia." Lily turned to face her sister, by now they were at the top of the stairs.

"Weird?"

"Yeah, so long as we can put on the folly that were a normal family for once instead of hiding you then we'll be fine."

"But we are a normal family!" said Lily heatedly.

"HA! You really do need to go to a correctional school if you really think that!" she spat back. "Lily, so as long as you're alive were not a normal family. So long as you bugger off to Scotland or wherever this place is you will always make our family different. It's almost a relief that you go because we don't have to do this pretending everything's alright rubbish the rest of the time."

"What?"

"Oh we really don't miss you." said Petunia, "After all the freakish things you've done over the last ten years it was nice acting like an only child for the last year." Petunia was now smirking evilly at her sister.

"Yeah, me, mum and dad not having to continually making excuses for all the strange things you do. Blowing up light bulbs, things disappearing whenever you through a tantrum. Though they'll never admit it in front of you they've enjoyed the last year."

"That's not true!" said Lily fiercely.

"Well think about it." said Petunia. "If they really loved you they would of let you come home when you asked." She lightly pushed Lily aside and walked down the stairs toward the kitchen.

"Or maybe they share the same thoughts as me. That you freaks need to be segregated from the rest of us." Said Petunia as she walked through to the kitchen, leaving Lily alone at the top of the stairs. She looked down at her feet. No, no her parents made her stay there because she was meant to be better things. It wasn't because they were enjoying themselves too much, was it? No, no her mum and dad did miss her, they kept on telling her they missed her. Was that true, or where they trying to convince themselves that they did.

"Lily, Sweetpea dinners up." said Lavender from the kitchen. Lily snapped out of her daze and went down to the kitchen. She pulled her chair out and sat down gingerly. Not daring to look at Petunia who no doubt had a triumphant smirk on her face.

"Are you ok Lily? It looks like you've seen a ghost." Lily looked up from her lasagne at her mum who looked concerned. Was she feigning it? Or was her mum afraid she was going to do something magical.

"I'm fine." Said Lily plastering on a fake smile. She picked up her fork and prodded her food. Was Petunia right, did they really enjoy the last year without her. NO, of course they did, she told herself. Look how worried they were when they found out she had been kidnapped by Murdoch. She then remembered that Petunia didn't even bother coming to Hogwarts to even visit her. She told herself at the time it was nothing, but deep down she was really hurt that her own sister didn't care for her safety.

"Lily?"

"Yeah?" Lily looked up.

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Lavender.

"Yeah, yeah I am." Said Lily, "Just thinking about homework." She lied lamely.

"I thought you said you'd done it all?" said John taking a bite.

"I have." Said Lily, "I was just thinking if I forgot something." Her dad shrugged it off and went into how his day was at work. Lily looked up at the ceiling above her kitchen and wondered what the sky was like above. Another thing she missed about Hogwarts, all the small weird details that made it endlessly fascinating. It was now second nature to skip up every third step in case it decided to fall through, or, like now, looking up at dinner or lunch to see if it was worth going outside. Was she really getting homesick for Hogwarts again?

Could be, maybe?

* * *

Lily was lying on her front on her bed with her book and listening to the Beatles. Oh why did they split up?

"Lily."

Lily blew some hair from her face and turned the page of her book. She was clearly lost in her own little world of music and literature.

"Lily!"

Again, completely oblivious to her mother's voice downstairs Lily turned the page of her book with the Beatles still blocking her form reality.

"Lily!" Still nothing. "That bloody record player!" Lavender ran up the stairs and opened the door.

"Lily!" Lily snapped out her escape.

"Yes?"

"Come downstairs, you have a visitor." Said Lavender walking out. Lily rolled off her bed and walked downstairs to the kitchen where Sev was standing by the back door.

"Hey Sev." Said Lily brightly, already pulling on her trainers.

"Make sure your back for seven." Said Lavender as she went back to washing the dishes. Lily smiled and walked out of the door with Sev. Lavender looked uneasily at the door.

"If you don't like him, tell her." said John as he turned the page of his paper. Lavender sighed and went back to washing the dish.

"That would be the last thing I'd do." Said Lavender. "Teenage girls are born to rebel."

"She's not a teenager though."

"She will be, John!" said Lavender, "She will in a few months, and then it's seven years of raging hormones and messed up decisions. And I just hope that this Snape isn't one of those. Do you really want him as a son in law. I mean really?"

"Well…"

"Of course you don't." said Lavender. "And if we don't approve of him publicly then she'll go off the rails and end up having a child out of wedlock by the time she's nineteen."

"I think your over thinking this." Said John. "Lily discovered boys in a different way last year, and now she's not interested in them. It's fair to say that I'm over the moon about that." Lavender scowled.

"But I think you take to heart the fact that her one close friend is a boy, it doesn't mean it's romantic."

"She might not." Said Lavender, "But this Snape might."

"Well there too young to be thinking about that sort of stuff anyway." Said John. "Lily knows her boundaries."

"Why couldn't she be more friendly with that Potter boy?" asked Lavender. "He's the sort of son in law I would want."

"How so?"

"Brave, courageous, smart." Said Lavender fondly. "Lily might only be twelve, but she already has impeccable taste when it comes to boys."

"Shame James doesn't feel the same way."

"He'll stop seeing that American hussy." John laughed.

"The girls only thirteen and you've never met her." he said, "How can you be sure she's a hussy?"

"She's in the way of my daughter's ambitions." Said Lavender loftily. "And it's up to me as her mother to help fight her corner." John smirked.

"Well it's not her." said John. Lavender turned round.

"James doesn't like Lily?" she said amazed. "Why?" John shrugged his shoulders.

"Apparently he finds her a know it all who puts her nose in where it's not wanted." Said John.

"That toerag!" said Lavender appalled. "Lily's as good as gold!"

"I said the same thing and Alec agrees with me." Added John hastily. "But then again Lily doesn't exactly approve of him either." Lavender raised an eyebrow.

"Guess what she called James when I questioned her about him?" Lavender shook her head. John laughed and leaned back in his chair.

"You'll like this." He said. "She called James an Arrogant toerag. Sound familiar?" he asked with an amused glint in his eyes. Lavender quickly turned to the sink and placed the plate in the drainer.

* * *

"I don't even know why they broke up." Said Lily, she jumped over a fallen branch. "Lots of people think that Yoko had something to do with it."

"Who's Yoko?"

"John Lennon's girlfriend." Said Lily absentmindedly. "Apparently she broke up the Beatles."

"I still don't know who the Beatles are Lily?" said Sev. Lily shrugged her shoulders.

"Sorry I'm just ranting." She said looking at the trees above her. "I was listening to their album and it's weird that there never going to make another one."

"You still have that other band. Flickmac?"

"Fleetwood Mac." Said Lily giggling. "And I'm sure they'll be making music till I'm old and grey."

"What if they go the same way as the Beatles?" reasoned Sev.

"Don't worry, most of them are dating each other anyway. I think only Mick Fleetwood's single." Said Lily. "So no Yoko on that front."

"You really hate this Yoko." Said Sev.

"She broke up the fab four." Said Lily, "That's reason enough to hate anyone."

"Isn't that over reacting." Said Snape.

"She took away John." Said Lily. "He is probably the best of the lot."

"I thought you said you liked Ringo?" said Snape. Lily laughed.

"No, no one likes Ringo." Said Lily.

"I thought he was the best drummer in the world." Said Sev.

"He isn't the best the drummer in the Beatles." Said Lily as they reached lower Cokeworth. They walked to the shop, Sev went to buy them Ice cream as Lily looked at the advertisements in the window. There wasn't a lot to see there, mainly people trying to sell unwanted gifts. Lily looked down at a worn poster of a carnival that came to town a few years ago, but below it was something that did catch Lily's eye.

"Sev, Sev come look at this." Said Lily as her eyes travelled down the poster.

"What is it?" asked Sev as he got closer.

"It's an underage disco. How cool is that!" said Lily, "Says they'll be music from the Beatles, Elton John, and The Who."

"Sounds awful." Said Sev.

"What!" said Lily turning round. "This is incredible, we have to go to it."

"No, we don't." said Sev.

"Why not?"

"Well for one, it's all the way in Sheffield."

"My dad can take us." Said Lily.

"We won't know anyone there." Said Sev.

"Who needs to, we have each other." Said Lily.

"That's not what I meant." Said Sev. "It's probably going to be boring anyway, and it's not as if the bands are live."

"So, it's a chance to go enjoy ourselves." Said Lily a little hurt at Sev's frosty tone. "Come on Sev I've been coped up in this place for nearly three weeks! I need to do something fun."

"We could go to the clearing." Said Sev. "That's fun." Lily huffed, all they did there was drone on about how much they hated Potter. It may have been fun for him, but it certainly wasn't for her.

"No, a different type of fun." Said Lily excitedly. "We can go dancing!"

"I can't dance." Said Sev.

"I'll teach you." said Lily. "It's real easy once you have a knack for it."

"God Lily, I just don't want to go, ok, can we just drop it!" he said thrusting her cornetto into her hand and stalking out into the late sun. Lily sighed and looked at the poster before walking out after him.

It really set the tone. They just sat in the clearing eating ice cream, if this was Sev's idea of fun then Lily was serious for his sanity. She left at half six to go back home. The opened the door dejectedly into her kitchen.

"You ok love?" asked Lavender, "You seem down." Lily pulled out her chair and sat at the table.

"Mum, I'm bored." Said Lily burying her face into the table.

"But you've been out today." Said Lavender, "Surely that's not that boring?"

"Well it was." Said Lily. She looked up from table, half her face plastered onto her forearm. "Sev finds everything really boring."

"How do mean?" asked Lavender.

"Well there's an underage disco in Sheffield in a few days." Said Lily. "I said to Sev that we should go, but he said it would be stupid."

"Well you should go Lily." said Lavender. "You don't need him to go with you. Why don't you ask some of your school friends whether they want to go with you?" Lily picked her head up.

"You honestly didn't forget you had other friends did you?" asked Lavender amused. Lily's cheeks went pink.

"Yeah, ask them round." Said Lavender. "That Dorcas was nice, and it'll be a change for you to have some friends over."

"Could they stay over?" asked Lily.

"I don't see why not?" said Lavender. "How many are there?" Lily counted in her head, Dorcas, one, Sarah, two, Mary and Marlene, four, maybe Isabel and Jess , six.

"Six of us." Said Lily, "Though I'm not sure what there all doing so it might be less."

"Ok, we'll work something out."

"Will Petunia mind?" asked Lily.

"She shouldn't." said Lavender. "You've had to put up with her friends over the summer."

"I'll go and check then." Said Lily, she left the table and went upstairs to her room.

"Freak! Go get that bloody thing out of the house!" shouted Petunia. Lily's face screwed up in confusion. She went into her room and saw a snowy owl on her desk chair. It hooted happily at her presence as she walked in. Lily smiled walked over to it.

"Athena, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Just get that thing out of the house!" shrieked Petunia. Lily glared at the door and Athena hissed.

"Don't mind her." said Lily. "She's a little crazy."

"There's a damn owl in your room!" shouted Petunia, "That isn't normal!" Lily huffed and walked round to her door.

"It's normal to me!" she gritted out before slamming her door. She turned round to Athena who cocked her head to the side.

"Yeah, it's a mad house here." Said Lily.

"Don't talk to it, get rid of it!" shouted Petunia through the wall. Lily rolled her eyes and walked over to the owl. She stroked its neck, she cooed happily and flapped her wings impressively.

"Good girl." Said Lily, "Now, whatcha got for me?" she said excitedly rubbing her hands together. Athena tucked her wings in and nodded to a letter on the table. Lily went for the letter, she picked it up and heard a squawk and Athena nipped her ear.

"OW!" she said holding her ear. "What was that for?" Lily then saw some writing on the back.

Could you please feed and water Athena, it's a long flight.

Lily looked around. She frowned in thought. Owls ate mice, she didn't keep mice. She looked over at her door. Maybe her mum knew something.

"Wait there." Said Lily pointing at Athena, picked up some long socks from the floor and wrapped it round her forearm. She motioned for Athena and the owl flew onto her arm. Lily stroked her and the owl hooted.

"Come on, I'm sure my mum has some food you can eat." Lily walked out of the room with Athena and down towards the kitchen.

"Yeah, this is my house." said Lily at Athena who looked around at the enclosed corridor. "This is where Lily Evans spends her holidays."

"Stop talking to it!" shouted Petunia. "Just give it what it wants and get rid of it!"

"And that's my sister." Said Lily after a sigh. "She doesn't like wildlife." Lily walked down the stairs carefully to the living room and into the kitchen.

"Ah Lily." her mum said, not looking at her. "Can you lay to table ready for din…?" She turned round and stopped at the sight of her daughter holding an owl.

"Mum, meet Athena." Said Lily. "She's Dorcas's owl."

"Uhm…hi." Said Lavender. "Lily, why is there an owl in our kitchen?"

"Dorcas sent me a letter." Said Lily, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "But Athena needs feeding and I was wondering if we had anything she could have." Lavender nodded slowly.

"I…uh…I think there's some cold chicken in the fridge." Said Lavender slowly.

"That's great." Said Lily smiling and walking over.

"Well looks like you're in luck." She said to Athena while opening the fridge, both of them looked inside.

"Top shelf." Said Lavender distantly. Both of them looked up to the top shelf.

"Found it." said Lily reaching up with her free arm and bringing the plate down. Athena looked down curiously at the plate.

"Sorry it's only chicken." Said Lily. "We don't really keep mice." Lily looked up at Lavender who was still eyeing the owl curiously. "Do we have a water bowl?" asked Lily as Athena nibbled at the chicken. The owl nodded approvingly before eating more vigorously.

"Uhm…you could use a cereal bowl?" said Lavender. Now holding on tightly to the kitchen worktop. Lily snapped her finger.

"Of course." She said walking over to the cupboard. Athena squawked, not wanting to get away from the chicken.

"Ok, you stay here." She told the owl. Athena walked onto the table and started to eat again while Lily got some water into a bowl for her.

"She's great isn't she." Said Lily placing the water by Athena who started to sip from the bowl.

"Lily, there's an owl on our table." said Lavender not quite believing it herself.

"I know." Said Lily happily, "This is just like Hogwarts." She stroked Athena who hooted happily to Lily's giggles.

"Lav!"

"Kitchen!" said Lavender straight away. John walked in and stopped in the doorway and stared wide eyes at the owl.

"Hi dad." said Lily brightly. "This is Athena."

"Hi." Said John waving timidly at the owl who hooted back and went back to the chicken.

"Why is there an owl on the kitchen table?" asked John. "Normally they wait outside."

"This is Dorcas's owl." Explained Lily. "So she came to find me, she brought me mail. And I'm making sure she's strong enough to fly back."

"Right…" said John. "Lily…we don't usually have animals on the table. They stay outside."

"I know, but can you make an acceptation." Said Lily.

"Dad! Dad!" Petunia ran down the stairs. "There's some bloody bird in Lily's room and it won't go away!" she peered through the gap her dad left through the door and saw the owl on the table.

"AHHHHH!" Petunia squealed and ran back towards her room.

"Tuney doesn't like her." mused Lily while stroking the owl. "She just needs to rest and she'll be gone tomorrow."

"I appreciate that." Said John, "But could you get her off the table." Lily sighed, she motioned to Athena to get back onto her arm. The owl walked back on.

"I'll take her to my room." Lily said dejectedly. She walked away slowly past her dad with the owl who hooted happily.

"Yeah, yeah I know." Said Lily as she climbed the stairs. "It is good to be home." Lavender sighed and went to the sink and wetted the dish cloth and began wiping down the table.

"I didn't realise that the house was going to be a front for Disney films." Said John looking upstairs.

"Why is that thing still here!" shouted Petunia. The unmistakable sound of Lily's door slamming filled the house.

"To be fair to Lily it's the first time she's done it herself." Said Lavender. "Though the ones she sent back from her school always landed outside." John smiled.

"Girls, dinner!" shouted Lavender.

Petunia came into the kitchen, looking round nervously as she inspected the room to see if Athena was still lurking around.

"Is your sister coming?" asked Lavender.

"So long as she doesn't bring that bloody bird I'll be fine." Said Petunia.

"Petunia." Said Lavender sternly, "Is your sister coming down?" Petunia shrugged.

"Lily!" called Lavender. No answer. Lavender frowned and walked to the kitchen door. "Lily, dinners ready!"

"Can you dish dinner up and I'll go get her." said Lavender. John nodded and went to the counter while Lavender went out of the kitchen. She walked up the stairs and knocked on her youngest door.

"Lily." no answer. "Lily love, dinners ready."

"I'm not hungry." Said Lily through the door.

"If this is about your owl were sorry," said Lavender. "It was just a bit of a shock sweetheart."

"I'm just not hungry." Said Lily grumpily. Lavender opened the door and saw Lily sitting at her desk writing. Athena was sitting on her windowsill with her head under her wing.

"Lily, please come down." Said Lavender. "I said I'm sorry."

"Can I ask you something?" Lily turned in her chair so she was facing Lavender.

"Of course Sweetpea." Said Lavender.

"Do you ever wish I was normal?"

"Normal?" said Lavender confused. "Lily, you are normal."

"But I'm not though, am I?" said Lily. "And I've only just seen that."

"Lily."

"I'm not done." Said Lily, her brow frowning. "What happened in the kitchen, every one of my friends would have found that normal. In the last year, that is normal. And yet you all thought I was insane, like I was some sort of-"Lily cut herself off mid-sentence. No, she couldn't possibly think that about herself.

"Lily?" her mum asked, sensing something was wrong. Lily sat back down on her chair again, her face blank. Lavender walked forward into her room and kneeled beside her. "Lily." she took her daughters hands in hers.

"Lily I don't know what you're thinking. But whatever it is you think you are, you are not." Said Lavender. "You are perfect just the way you are."

"Why do I feel this way?" asked Lily. Lavender smiled sadly.

"I think you're missing school." She said. "And maybe being away from other Witches and Wizards." Lavender hugged her.

"Mum I'm so confused." Said Lily. Tears now leaking from her eyes. "I really feel like an outcast here."

"You are not an outcast here." Said Lavender. "You are my daughter."

"But Tuney said."

"Your sister has her own demons." Said Lavender. "As do you, but you cannot let her get into your head and tell you that you are something you're not."

"She said you didn't miss me." Said Lily. "You and dad. She said that you glad I was gone, so things where normal." Lavender shook her head.

"They were far from normal." Said Lavender. "Not having you home isn't normal. You are missed by us every second you are away." Lily buried her face into her mums shoulder.

"I just needed to know." She said quietly. Lavender leaned back and smiled.

"You are always missed, and don't let your sister rub you up the wrong way." Lily now smiled through the tears. Lavender ruffled her youngest hair.

"I brought some chicken up if Athena is still hungry." She placed the dish on Lily's desk, but Athena didn't stir.

"She isn't hungry." Said Lily, "But she will be later though."

"She's a very nice owl." Said Lavender.

"She's Dorcas's owl." Said Lily, "There very useful for delivering mail. But they there own owlry in Hogwarts. So I've never needed one."

"So what's Dorcas written to you about?" asked Lavender.

"Just catching up." Said Lily. "But I'm going to ask her about this disco."

"Dinners ready." Said Lavender. "Come on, I've waited too long to have you home, I don't want you to mope around in your room." Lily thought for a moment. She then nodded and went with her mum towards the kitchen.

* * *

"She's lonely." Said Lavender, she was brushing her hair, sitting in front of her dressing table. John was sitting in bed looking at her with folded arms.

"How can she be lonely?" said John, "She has us."

"I think this magical world has grown on her." said Lavender, "She misses it. Sure she has the Snape boy as a sort of bridge but even she finds him annoying from time to time."

"So what's this solution you've been talking about?" asked John.

"We're going to buy her a cat." Said Lavender. When John didn't reply she turned round.

"A cat?" said John. "…why does she need a cat?"

"Because she feels lonely." Said Lavender, "In her letter last year it said she could take an owl, a cat, or a toad."

"So why not an owl."

"You saw how Petunia reacted to having Athena there. Do you really want to put up with the scream?" John nodded.

"Well I can't see Lily going for a toad. So a cat then."

"I think a kitten." Said Lavender. "Something that'll be with her for her school days."

"And they a bit temperamental?" asked John.

"I'm sure Lily will smooth it out." Said Lavender getting into bed. "But I think something that'll let her have a connection to the worlds she lives in would be good for her. So when she comes home, she'll still have a little part of it with her." John shrugged and settled down to.

"So I guess that you'll find one and then I'll pay for it then?" Lavender giggled and pressed his nose.

"Glad to see you still know your position here after all this time." John smirked. Lavender then shrieked in surprise and laughed as John imposed himself on top her.

"Yeah." He said with a devilish smile, "I suppose I do."

 **The Marauders Proudly Present Lily Evans In: The Marauders Year Two**

 **Chapter Two**

 **Somewhere Only We Know**

 **Written By Chambers10**

 **Knockturn Alley**

"Did anyone see what happened?"

"Make way, make way, CSU are here!"

"Set up the cordon, I don't want the public or the press hearing about this!"

"Is true."

"Yes, it's one of our own."

"Enforcer, Enforcer, what is going on!"

"A statement will be issued shortly! Now get back behind that cordon!"

Alec walked through a puddle down to the crime scene. People where outside in the cold night trying to get a good look, and the press trying to establish the details. While Enforcer's held them back, trying to remain calm. He lifted up the yellow tape and turned the corner down an alley way. He could hear people directing questions at him, about everything, his life, Murdoch, James. Thank god there was a dead body for him to take his mind off it.

"Auror Potter." He said flashing his badge. He walked up to the body. It was a man in an enforcer's uniform. He was face down with his right arm out stretched, like he had been crawling away from something. Alec saw that the back of the victim's hair was stained with blood.

"Ah, Auror. Thank you for coming." The pathologist, a portly man in his late fifties with grey hair and a rapidly receding hair line came over.

"Who's out Vic?" asked Alec.

"Enforcer Joe Murphy." He said. "Twenty seven years old."

"How did he die?" asked Alec.

"Omega curse." Said the pathologist.

"So why has he got his on the back of his head?" Alec gloved up his hand and pointed to the blood on the back of the victims head.

"He was hit with a concavement charm. It crushed the base of the skull to stop him from running."

"He was running?" The pathologist nodded and pointed down the Alley.

"Blood spatter starts about fifty feet down there and ends here." He explained. "So he was running, hit with a charm and slumped the floor.

"Any other injuries."

"He was tortured first. The nerve endings are inflamed, that indicates prolonged exposure to a stimulant charm."

"The cruciatus curse." Said Alec. The pathologist nodded in agreement.

"Did Murphy have his notebook on him?"

"No, it was swiped."

"Memories."

"Wiped post mortem." Said the Pathologist. "They were careful." Alec looked at the outstretched hand, it was balled up in a fist while the left hand was palmed on the wet pavement. Strange.

If he was crawling to get away, then surely both hands would be palmed for crawling. Alec turned the arm round and noticed something crumpled up in his hand. Alec gently prised the fingers apart and pulled out a piece of paper. Alec got to his feet and turned away. Trying to get some more light.

 _MfW planning mass attack on Boulevard, date, soon!_

Alec got an evidence bag out of his coat and placed the note in. The Boulevard was the American equivalent of Diagon Alley, it was slowly becoming one of the most popular places the magical world. A whole shopping centre underground, it was certainly dangerous, if it was a bomb then the whole roof could cave in, causing the ground above to collapse. If it was a massacre attempt then sealing off all the exits would be easy to.

"What's that?"

"A lead." Said Alec.

MfW. It wasn't a name Alec was familiar with. Maybe it was a small group. But if Murphy was running away with this information, and kept it in a place where he knew no one would find it, it must have been important.

Who are the MfW, and what do they plan to do?


	3. Chapter 3

"I really think green suits you Lily." said Lavender holding up a green dress.

"It's clichéd." Said Lily darkly.

"But it matches your eyes."

"That's why it's a cliché." Said Lily irritably. "Come on, can't I go to the book shop while you two finish here?"

"No." both Lavender and Petunia said in scary unison. Lily crossed her arms and blew a few stray strands of hair from her hastily assembled ponytail out of her eyes. They were in John Lewis looking at dresses for this party the Evans family had been invited to. Lavender and Petunia where looking around enthusiastically while Lily was sitting on a bench used for shoes.

"So I take it red is out of the question to?" said Lavender holding up a red one. To emphasis her point, Lily showed of her ponytail. Lavender seethed and went lurking again.

"Why can't you be like a normal girl and like shopping?" Said Petunia, putting emphasis on the 'normal' part.

"Because I don't need my self-esteem from a piece of overpriced fabric." Said Lily coolly. Petunia glared at her before going back to the rows of dresses.

"Now girls, don't fight." Said Lavender sternly. "Or I'll send you football shopping with your father."

"I wouldn't mind that." Said Lily.

"Well I know that, that's why you're here." Said Lavender. "For trying to get your wand back for the third time!" Lily pulled a face and looked away. Okay, so she had tried again, but her mum had a sixth sense of knowing where and when she was going to cause trouble.

"Can I help you ladies at all?" It was one of the assistants who worked in the section. She was almost a stick insect with brown hair pulled back into a bun.

"Actually, my daughter needs help finding a dress." Said Lavender, "She's not really the shopping type." The assistant looked over at Petunia and cast her eye up and down.

"So I can see." She said, clearly thinking that the peach top and purple trousers Petunia were something out of a horror film. Petunia though was too preoccupied to listen anyway.

"Oh no, no." said Lavender, trying to diffuse a situation that hadn't been lit. "My other Daughter." She said pointing at Lily. If possible the assistant cast a more judgemental look at Lily who felt uncomfortable under the watchful gaze. She was wearing her trainers, a pair of battered old jeans and a white top.

"Ah, I see what you mean." The assistant said looking down, almost feigning to throw up. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Could you help?"

"Ah, here, we can make any Cinderella dazzle." She said floating over, she grabbed Lily by the arm and hoisted her up.

"Lord knows you have the sister part nailed down." She muttered as she whisked Lily away. Lily was almost thrown into the changing room. She stood up straight and could see the assistant holding her ridiculously pointy chin while studying her.

"Well I must say, red and green." She said peering closer at Lily. "What an odd combination."

"Uhm…thanks?"

"Don't thank me yet." The assistant said. "So I think maybe reds, greens and purples would suit you, maybe a black one for when you're older. Maybe something to hide your hips." Lily looked down.

"No darling, up here." The assistant said grabbing Lily's cheek and forcing her to look up. "I'll make you look like Hera herself." She then floated away again. Lily looked down at her hips. They weren't that big, where they? Maybe here, but in the real world, she was a healthy figure, or at least she always thought herself healthy. This is why she hated shopping. After what felt like an eternity she returned and closed the door in Lily's face. Then no less than 5 different dresses where flung over the side.

"Here's something for you to try on." Said the Assistant. Lily picked one dress up. Green. She seethed.

"You ok in their Lily?" asked Lavender.

"Fine." She mumbled pulling her t-shirt over her head and toeing of her trainers. Lily took her jeans of too and pulled the dress on. She inspected herself in the mirror, she enjoyed a good dress now and again, but now they were becoming a hindrance.

"Well come on, let's see?" Lily turned and opened the door and stepped out to see her mum, Tuney and the assistant. They all looked at her, the assistant frowned.

"You're not wearing a bra dear?" said the assistant. Lily screwed her face up in confusion, and looked down.

"Uhm…no?" she said.

"Lily hasn't really filled out yet." Said Lavender. The assistant shook her head.

"I beg to differ." She said. "Haven't you noticed her growing up?" Lily smirked at her mother's glare.

"I think she needs measuring out while she's here as well." Said the assistant. Lily looked down at her chest.

"Wait…I need to wear a bra now?" asked Lily confused. "There not even there?"

"They're definitely there." Said Assistant. "Now let's get you measured up. Lily looked to her mother for help, she just shrugged her shoulders and let Lily be dragged away, again. Lily decided there and then, she hated clothes shopping.

* * *

There not even that big, Lily thought holding them in her hands. She looked at herself sideways in the mirror, they didn't sag, but they looked, pert. Lily smiled, they actually looked pretty cute. Sure they were small, but they would grow. She bounced up and down on the spot watching them bounce with her. She stopped and looked down at them again. Maybe she could get used to having these pups around for a bit. She ran a finger over the mounds and brushed her nipple.

"Whoa…" a slight tingle ran through her body, like a shockwave that started from her chest and flew to her extremities. Lily looked up at herself at the mirror, she looked around her room, making sure her curtains where firmly shut, along with the door. Gingerly, she ran her finger over the sensitive skin again. The electric buzz coursed through her body again, Lily gasped slightly at the positive feeling.

A sharp knocking on the window snapped Lily out of her pleasure. Who the hell was knocking on her window? She stared at the curtains, and they rattled again. Lily sighed and pulled her t-shirt on, slightly miffed that she couldn't explore that feeling further. She opened the curtains and saw Athena, her head slightly cocked to the side.

"Hey girl." Said Lily opening the window, the owl swopped in and landed on the make shift perch Lily had created for her. Athena's letter fell onto her desk. Lily sat in her chair and eagerly opened the letter while Athena laid her head down for the night. Lily stroked her feathers and smiled, she went back to the letter and opened the envelope, and she smoothed the letter on her desk.

 _Hey Lils_

 _Thanks for the letter, Athena seemed to enjoy her visit, she was all too happy to go for a return trip. I talked to the girls and most of them are up for it, except Isabel and Jess, there holidaying in the south of France (surprise, surprise.) But the rest of them are very much up for it. I think a girls night out and a sleepover is just what we need, I mean, I've been bored stiff here for the last two weeks. James and Sirius have sodded off to America for the last two weeks and all the other girls have been going here there and everywhere, your letters have been the only thing keeping me sane round the house, seriously, the ministry of magic has lost its wonder now I've grown up._

 _So I was thinking that we could all go round to yours and get ready and then head off to this disco. So I'll be we'll all be round there four on Saturday so we can all get ready. See you in a couple of days._

 _Love Dorcas._

Lily smiled and stroked Athena, she didn't move, clearly still asleep. Lily looked into her mirror and tied her hair back. She then walked over to her bed and crawled underneath the covers.

"Damn." She left her light on, but the bed was so comfortable. She cursed herself and looked over at the light. She could do this, it couldn't be that hard to do wand less magic. She concentrated at the switch, the light flickered but nothing more. Lily thought back, what was the spell to turn the light off with on her wand. She looked over at the switch again.

"Knox!" The room was then plunged into darkness. Lily smirked to herself and lay down on the bed and pulled her duvet around her.

* * *

"WHAT!"

"Your sister has friends coming over." Said Lavender to Petunia. Lily could hear the argument from her bedroom.

"MUM, THEY'RE FREAKS!"

"Petunia, no!" said Lavender, "Your sister and her friends are not freaks!"

"But they're going to be brewing potions and talking about magic." Said Petunia. "And doing freaky things, can't you set them up somewhere else to do all that?"

"You have had friends over and Lily hasn't complained."

"Because my friends are normal!" shouted Petunia. Lily rolled her eyes.

"They are not going to be like the three witches from Macbeth." Said Lavender. "They're getting ready here and then going to a disco."

"They don't do things like that though!" said Petunia. "That's only a ruse, that's what that freak wants you to believe!"

"That somehow her friends are going to cause trouble from her room. Please Petunia, stop with this madness."

"No, it's not madness." Said Petunia, "I have a sister who's nothing more than a freak!"

"Again with that word. Petunia, your sister is not a freak! Now, Lily is going to have her friends over, you can either go to your friends or, you can stay here and treat our guests with the same dignity that your sister treats your friends with."

"You're so unfair!"

"Petunia, you are not an only child!"

"I might as well be!" said Petunia storming away. Lily could hear her mother sigh. Lily walked downstairs, her mum was sitting at the table with head in her hands.

"Mum?" Lavender looked up. She smiled as her eyes travelled over lily.

"You know, I still can't believe that you're here some days." She said. Lily sat down next her. Lavender reached and took Lily's hand in her own.

"I'm sorry of my friends coming over has caused some rift."

"No, no." said Lavender shaking her head. "Your sister's not open to the idea of having five witches under our roof."

"I can meet them there."

"No Lily." Said Lavender. "No, I want them here, your sister will have to deal with it by herself. You should have friends over more often."

"They are nice, by the way."

"I'm sure they are." Said Lavender. "But I am sorry about your sister." She laughed, "I've been saying that to you since you were born." Lily laughed to, but it slowly died down.

"Is it me or has Tuney been more friendly then usual?" asked Lily" Lavender laughed a little before clearing her throat.

"Your sister…" she looked towards the kitchen door leading outside, maybe fearful that she might burst in on this conversation. "Your sister is a little jealous of you." said Lavender.

"Jealous of me?" asked Lily in surprise. "Why?" Lavender made a face that said to Lily, you figure it out.

"Oh."

"Your sister reads all the letters you send back." Said Lavender, "And, hearing about all the adventures you've been on, all the things you've done. It's made her a little jealous."

"I didn't mean it to happen." Said Lily.

"I know you didn't." said Lavender. "I think that…She didn't think you were going away to learn magic. That, it was all…a lie, that really where going to America for boarding school."

"Oh…right." Lily mumbled. "So not because my friends are coming over."

"Maybe that's just a cover." Said Lavender. "But what I will say is that your sister is becoming more and more of a handful."

"Should she have been sent to reform school then?" asked Lily.

"I might have to, I don't understand though, she's been fine, and then she suddenly explodes with this behaviour."

"Maybe it's because I've come home." Said Lily.

"No Lily, not of course it's not." Said Lavender, "What makes you think that?"

"Well, whenever I've been home, she seems to go off the rails. Come on, you thought it to." Said Lily.

"I will not have my daughters fighting the time both of you are home." Said Lavender. "I love you both equally."

* * *

The doorbell rang and Lily sprang from her bed, knocking her book onto the floor. She couldn't hide her smile as she jumped the last five stairs and race through the living room. Lily unchained the door and yanked it open.

"Someone's excited."

"Dorcas!" Lily threw herself into hugging her friend. Dorcas laughed and patted her back.

"Miss me then." Lily laughed and pulled back.

"Yeah, just a little." Said Lily, "Come in." Dorcas followed Lily into the house and they went up to her room. Dorcas put her stuff down by Lily's bed.

"I am jealous of those windows." Said Dorcas, she walked over to window sitting on one of Lily's sills, she leaned back and smiled as the warm sun kissed her face.

"There nice for reading on." Said Lily sitting the other side "And they let the light in as well, according to my mum. I'm not really around enough to see "

"I really do like them."

"But your room is huge though." Said Lily, "And you live in a mansion."

"A house you can get easily lost in." said Dorcas.

"You must be Mary, yes; Lily and Dorcas are already upstairs."

"Thanks Mrs Evans." Said Mary.

"Please, Lavender." Said Lavender, "There upstairs, second door on the right." Mary soon joined them.

"Hey girls." She said. "Wow, nice windows."

"I was just saying." Said Dorcas as Mary came over to the windows.

"So, Lily, tell us where are we going?"

"Oh, right, It's this disco place in the middle of Sheffield." Said Lily. "Underage Disco with loads of music and people our own age."

"Sounds cool, so, who's playing?"

"They have music from Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles." Said Lily.

"I've never heard of them." said Dorcas.

"There Muggle Bands." Said Mary leaning over.

"Oh, right." Said Dorcas. "Well, I've never been to a muggle disco." She said clapping her hands, "Should be fun."

"Do they have wizarding discos?" asked Mary.

"Yeah, and they were quite fun." Said Dorcas nodding her head. "We used to have loads of fun, dancing and causing trouble."

"Did you and Isabel go?" asked Lily.

"No…not Isabel." Said Dorcas. "I stopped going to them a while back."

"Why?"

"Marlene, yes, there upstairs In Lily's room." They stopped talking and Marlene came walking in.

"Hey girls." She stopped and looked at them.

"I love those Windows."

"We were just saying." Said Dorcas. "Well. I don't know about you but I have spent ages picking out my dress, I want to see what you all think."

* * *

"Oh Girls, you all look lovely." Said Lavender clapping her hands together as they came down the stairs. "I can see a few heart breakers here."

"Mum!" said Lily.

"Touchy, touchy," said Lavender, "What time does it finish?"

"Half Ten and we'll get the last train at Eleven." Said Lily.

"I've never been to a disco before." Said Sarah. "Have you?"

"Once." Said Mary, "But it was boring. Some function my school made me go to."

"Can't be worse than the stupid parties I have to go to." Said Dorcas. "We'll see you later."

"Bye girls, have fun." Said Lavender. The group filed outside and set off towards the station.

"This is a really nice place to live." Said Marlene looking around the houses, "It must be nice to actually see people around your neighbourhood."

"It wasn't so great." Said Lily, her mind flashing back to all the unhappy memories of being branded a freak and being ousted as an outcast. Her friends knew she had been bullied in the past, only Dorcas knew the full extent. Lily looked at her feet but felt Dorcas put her arm around her.

"Maybe she's right, muggles are strange." Said Dorcas. They walked down the main street and down past the school. The station now coming into view.

"Where not that strange." Said Mary. "Me and Lily are muggles and where normal, aren't we?"

"Well of course you two are." Said Dorcas, "Well the jury's still out on Lily since she did fancy James for the whole of last year."

"Yeah that was pretty dumb." Said Lily.

"You fancied Potter?"

"Only a little." Said Lily.

"What changed your mind?"

"Probably when Lily caught him with Snape?"

"Doing what exactly?" Marlene asked as they walked into the station.

"Bullying him." said Lily stiffly while walking away. All the girls looked on as Lily walked on ahead of them to buy their tickets to Sheffield.

"Is it me, or does something tell you that this place maybe not be as picturesque as it seems?" asked Marlene.

"One person's heaven is another one's hell." Said Dorcas. "But something tells me that Lily does like it here." Lily pushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear and laughed with the cashier as she waved him goodbye.

"Well there we are." She said handing out the tickets. "Keep hold of them because their returns as well."

"How the hell are you so organised?" asked Sarah. "I could never think this up, I'd fail miserably."

Lily laughed. "My mum always told me to be prepared." She then slipped out the disco tickets. "So that I have nothing to worry about." She handed out the tickets as well.

"So do you witches and wizards usually meet up like this over the summer?" asked Mary.

"Shhh!" hissed Dorcas, looking up and down the platform, checking if anyone else was listening. Lily looked around confused.

"You can't go round saying stuff like that." Warned Dorcas, "Muggles can't find out about magic like this."

"But we were talking about it at my house?" said Lily.

"Well that's fine." Said Marlene. "You can't do magic in public or speak about Hogwarts and things like that."

"Why, what happens if you do?" asked Mary?

"They arrest you and discipline you." said Sarah, "At least that's what my dad says."

"They don't really, do they?" asked Mary looking at Dorcas. Dorcas shook her head.

"No, they don't arrest you." said Dorcas, she looked around the platform again, there was only a group of old ladies further down the platform, and some boys who were talking and laughing. Why did one of them look familiar to Lily?

"There's something in our world called to Statute of Secrecy." Said Dorcas, snapping Lily's attention from the boys. "Basically what it is, it makes sure that when muggleborn's are accepted into our world, they don't go blabbing about it to the rest of their world."

"Can you get trouble for it?" asked Lily, Dorcas nodded.

"They can take your wand away."

"My mum's already done that." Lily muttered darkly.

"Does she snap it in two and give you the remains for you to ponder on a life that could been?"

"No."

"Then that's why you don't reveal anything to muggles." Said Dorcas.

"But my parents and sister know." Said Lily. "Any my granddad."

"Well they've probably been told not to blabber about what you can do." Said Dorcas. "But there have been muggleborn's that have had their wands taken away from them for doing serious shit."

"Like what?" asked Mary.

"Bragging to other muggles that they can do magic." Said Dorcas. As she finished the train pulled in. The group got on board, Lily sat by the window and smiled as the rest of the group sat around her.

Lily finished laughing as the train pulled into the station. She picked her bag up and followed the rest of the girls off the train and onto the platform.

"So where we heading Lils?" asked Dorcas.

"The place should be a couple of streets down." Said Lily as they got outside onto the street, she looked around to see if there any other people their age going there.

"Yeah, but what direction?" asked Marlene. "Every way looks the same. Have you ever been there before?" Lily wasn't listening, she looked around again and saw the same group of boys from the platform in Cokeworth. Lily watched intently as they set of the left.

"There." She said pointing towards them."

"Where?"

"Where those boys are heading." Said Lily starting to run after them. The girls raised eyebrows. Lily turned round to look at them when they didn't follow.

"Oh come on!" she said, "They will lead us right there, we don't have to talk to them."

"Ok, we'll follow your lead." Said Dorcas walking after her. They followed a safe distance before they arrived at the place. It used to be an old brewery that had been converted. The party was already underway with the music being heard from the opposite side of the road where Lily and her friends were standing. But the windows was hat enticed Lily. There were a whole array of colours beaming out of the building that made it look like different mood for every song.

"Wow." Said Sarah looking up. "Where actually going in here?"

"Lily, how did you get tickets for this?" asked Mary, "It looks way too good for us."

"A girl has her ways." Said Lily smiling shyly as she crossed the road towards the building. Dorcas shook her head and laughed.

"Come on girls, I guess we are going here." Dorcas said. They handed their tickets in at the door and walked inside.

The building was an old brewery that had been converted into a club. Every so often they did underage discos. As they walked in opened straight up into the dance floor where people were already dancing under the changing lighting. Lily looked over at the right hand-side of the room where there where comfy looking booths that were built into the wall.

"Why don't we get a seat?" Said Lily pointing over towards a free booth. They walked over and sat down. "I'll get us some drinks." Lily walked through the crowd of people over towards the bar. She stood at the bar waiting to get served when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She turned round and saw a boy standing next to her. He looked a couple of years older than her and had a look in his eye Lily didn't like. Her eyes drifted briefly behind him to see a he was with a group who were watching him.

"Hey pretty eyes." he said. "Haven't seen you round here before."

"This is my first time." said Lily turning back towards the bar, not really interested in engaging in conversation.

"Well why don't I make it memorable and buy you a drink." He said with a raised eyebrow. Lily smirked to herself, maybe she could have a little fun.

"Ok." She said leaning in. "I'll have five cokes." She tried her best to do a seductive tone. She waited with baited breath as the boy chuckled.

"That's a lot of drinks for one girl." He said. Lily smiled and leaned into his ear.

"I get thirsty." She said. "Mainly from all the dancing I do." Lily supressed her laugh as the boy swallowed thickly. He nodded and called the barman over. After whispering in his ear he turned to Lily.

"So I don't see you around here, do you live on the outskirts or something?" he asked. Lily just shook her head.

"I live around." She said. The barman came over with the drinks on a tray.

"Thanks for the drinks." She picked up the tray. But she felt a hand on her arm.

"Hey, don't you want to at least want to know my name?" Lily smiled.

"I'm fine without it." she said. "Thanks for the drinks, my friends and I are very thankful." The boy looked confused as Lily got the tray and walked over towards the table they were sitting on. As she looked back she could see the boys mocking their friend at being played.

"There we are." She said putting it down, "Not bad, is it?" all the girls looked at her amazed as she placed the drinks down.

"Did you swindle that guy out of a drink?" asked Mary.

"Five technically." Said Lily shrewdly taking them off the tray. "Besides, I didn't like him."

"So you got free drinks out of him." Lily looked over to see the said boy being mocked by his friends.

"He'll get over it." Lily said smirking to herself.

"So you used your feminine charm for material gain?" asked Dorcas.

"Yeah, I guess I did." Said Lily sitting down next to her

"I think we'll all get on just fine." Said Dorcas placing an arm round her. "I think Lily has set the standard tonight girls. Let's see who can match or better her."

"What, trying to swindle drinks?"

"My sister does it all the time with her friends." Said Mary. "Can't be that hard."

"But isn't it just leading them on?" asked Sarah. Dorcas shrugged.

"It's a little fun." She said. "There not really gonna take it seriously." Lily shrugged as she sipped her drink and watched what was happening around her. Mainly it was of what happened to her not a few minutes before, girls being asked for dances by older boys who in some cases didn't take no for an answer.

"Are there this many cute boys in Sheffield normally?" asked Marlene looking around.

"I don't know, are there?" asked Lily looking round. Most of the boys she was looking at looked like the underneath of Petunia's shoe. If there were any, she couldn't see them.

"Maybe they all came for the disco." Said Lily.

Lily felt a hand on her shoulder, maybe it was one of the girls asking about muggle customs. She turned round to see a boy who tapped her. He looked familiar to Lily, where had she seen him before.

"Lily? Lily Evans?" How did she know her name, did he go to Hogwarts?

"Uhm…yeah." Said Lily a little confused. The boy chuckled. Now Lily got to look at him properly. He was taller then, smart brown hair and brown eyes. Though one thing she did notice was that he was very good looking.

"You don't remember me, do you." he said.

"Uhm…no, sorry." Said Lily cringing.

"It's ok." He said. "It's Kobe, remember, from All Saints?" Lily hit herself on the head. Of course it was him, how couldn't see it, she remembered the hair now, because she thought of Potters hair when she first saw it.

"Yes, yes, I do remember you." said Lily, "Sorry, it's been a few hectic months."

"I can bet." Said Kobe, "Last I heard your sister said you had been sent to reform school." Lily looked down and frowned.

"She started that rumour, but I've actually been studying abroad." Said Lily. "She was a little jealous."

"That depends." He said leaning in closer. "Where was abroad?" Lily smirked a little.

"What If it's somewhere bland and unexotic?"

"Then maybe reform school might have been a viable option." Lily laughed despite herself, she shook her head and continued to laugh.

"America." She lied, "I've been to America."

"I'm not really surprised." Said Kobe. "You were always really smart." Was it warm round here thought Lily, because her cheeks where going very hot indeed.

"I wasn't that smart." Said Lily now looking away. Kobe laughed.

"Of course you were." Said Kobe, "You used to do all the year six homework." Lily laughed softly.

"Doesn't make me smart though." Insisted Lily.

"And yet you went off to America to study now. I'd say that makes you the most famous person to come out of Cokeworth." The heat was definitely going up.

"Uhm, thanks." Said Lily, "But I'm not that famous."

"So you are famous then?"

"Well…yes, I mean no, but you said-oh never mind." Said Lily, "Sorry for rambling."

"Hey it's fine." Said Kobe. "Are they your friends?" he pointed over towards Marlene and Mary who were talking to two boys.

"Yeah, they are." Said Lily. "They go to the same school as me."

"Are they Yanks then?" asked Kobe.

"No, they hand pick a group of…special students to go." Said Lily. "We all decided to meet up and come here." She looked up at Kobe, "So…why are you here?" she asked tentatively.

"My football team dragged me out." Said Kobe. "This isn't really my scene."

"I know how you feel." Said Lily. "I thought it would be fun, but…"

"But what?" asked Kobe.

"I thought there would a lot more dancing." Said Lily. "It isn't how they portray it in film."

"Well this is underage." Said Kobe. Lily noticed that he swallowed thickly, like that boy did at the bar when Lily told her about her dancing.

"Are you ok?" asked Lily.

"Yeah." Said Kobe, he ran a hand through his hair. "Do you Er…you want to dance?" Lily looked at him in surprise. He wanted to dance with her.

"Uhm…I don't know." Said Lily.

"Why not?" asked Kobe. Lily exhaled, all the memories of her past coming back to her in a montage, he might of changed, but the memories where still there.

"Kobe, I haven't totally forgotten what happened to me while I was in Cokeworth school." Said Lily.

"I know Wendy got-"

"No." said Lily sadly, "No, you don't." Kobe sighed and nodded. Lily started to back away she was about to turn when Kobe held onto her wrist.

"You're right Lily." he said, "You're right, and I'm sorry that I didn't do anything to stop it. But, I really do like you, and…well…I was just hoping that, maybe you could try and forgive me." He let go of her wrist, showing that that was all he had to say. Lily looked down at the skin where he had touched her.

"I guess what I'm asking for really is a second chance." Said Kobe lightly. "I know I can't undo what you has been done to you. But I've moved on from them as well."

"You didn't go to Cokeworth Secondary?" Kobe shook his head.

"I was scouted for Sheffield United." He explained. He then pointed over towards a group of boys that Lily instantly remembered as the ones she swindled drinks from earlier. "That's my team." Lily blushed.

"So…you saw me swindle drinks from them then." She said shyly. Kobe chuckled.

"Yes, I did." He said, "It was very clever."

"I'm not going to reimburse them." said Lily. Kobe laughed again, he then looked down and then back up at Lily.

"So…still want that dance?" he asked. "It looks like your friends will join us." He pointed over to Mary and Marlene who were now being escorted towards the dance floor. Lily looked at Kobe.

"Ok, but nothing fancy. I can't really dance."

"But I remember you saying you love to dance." Teased Kobe.

"On my own where no one can see me!" said Lily playfully batting his arm.

"Why's that?"

"Because I dance with two left feet." Lily mumbled.

"Good thing my right foots really something." said Kobe pulling her to the dance floor.

"No, Kobe!" shouted Lily. Kobe just laughed and pulled her through a crowd of people till they came to a small space on the dance floor. Kobe swivelled Lily around so she was now facing him.

"You have to dance now." he said triumphantly. It was a good thing that some hair had fallen into her face because Lily was smiling. Lily started to move with the music, she tried to imagine that she was dancing alone, even that was just mostly jumping around her bedroom or dormitory with no real sultry movements and running her hands through her hair to make it like Janis Joplin.

Lily almost lost track of time. She was actually having some fun with Kobe, probably because they were laughing at each other abysmal dancing. Lily looked around and saw that her friends had now gathered in a group and where dancing with each other. Lily looked over at the clock behind the bar. It was half ten and the train left at eleven to Cokeworth.

"Sorry Kobe, I have to go." Said Lily, "My train leaves in half an hour."

"I need to go to Cokeworth to." Said Kobe, Lily raised an eyebrow. "I still live there." Lily nodded.

"I need to go get my friends and then we can go." Said Lily brightly. "I'll meet you outside and we can go together." Kobe nodded and walked away while Lily went to the group.

"There she is, the little minx." Said Dorcas, "Has that lad proved unworthy company?" Lily rolled her eyes.

"The train leaved in half an hour so we need to get going." Said Lily. The group then walked behind her. "And I am not a minx."

"You were dancing with him for most of the night." Said Marlene.

"Oh and you weren't dancing with anyone, where you." said Lily. All the girls went very quiet.

"Ok, so we let our hair down." Said Dorcas, "That's what girl's nights are about. Although…" her eyes narrowed at the exit.

"At least the people who danced with us aren't waiting for us outside after we finished." Lily suddenly felt all the girls craning over her to look at Kobe before they got outside.

"God he's cute." Said Marlene. "Sure you don't want me to escort him home."

"He lives in Cokeworth to." Said Lily. "So he's getting the train back with us."

"Well why I don't introduce you all. Oh and your all genius who go to school in America." Said Lily. They walked out onto the street, Kobe turned and smiled.

"Girls, this is Kobe." Said Lily, "We used to go to school together."

"Hi Kobe." Said Marlene tossing her hair over her shoulder. Dorcas pulled a face and shook her head in almost pity at the blonde's foolishness and over the top eagerness.

"Hi," said Kobe politely. "Lily says that you all go to some genius school in America."

"Oh and beauty to." Said Marlene. "So, what do you do?" she hooked her arm round Kobe and led him towards the station. Lily raised an eyebrow and looked at Dorcas who shook her head again.

Marlene was still talking to Kobe as they reached the station, not really letting anyone else talk to him.

"Well looks like Marlene has found her catch, and there was me thinking you snared him Lily."

"Maybe it was for the best." Said Lily.

"He wasn't one of the people who bullied you was he?" asked Sarah Tentatively.

"No, no." said Lily, "He wasn't…" he looked over at him. "But he didn't stop them either." Marlene laughed at something that Kobe said and touched his chest.

"But so long as he's happy." Said Lily now smiling. "I'm too young for boys anyway." Dorcas laughed.

"Well at least you have some nice looking boys round here." Said Mary. "Chester's a little down on that front."

"Well maybe we could all gather round there next time." said Sarah. "Maybe all meet up at eachother's places."

"You don't want to come to Chester." Said Mary. "It's nothing like here; Cokeworth's nice, almost as if it's come straight out of a book."

The train pulled into the station, Marlene got onto the train with Kobe first followed by Lily and the rest of the girls.

They got off the train and got outside of the station, waiting for Marlene and Kobe to join them. It was a while but they finally joined them.

"So, here's my address." Said Marlene, "Sent me a letter, ok?"

"Yeah, sounds good." Said Kobe. "So I'll see you around then?"

"Yeah, definitely." He said. "Well I have to go that way."

"And I have to go that way." Said Marlene nervously, pointing towards Lily and her friends.

"I'll call you." said Kobe walking away. Marlene watched dreamily as he walked away. She then turned round to the group, who all simultaneously raised an eyebrow at her.

"Ok, I'm sorry Lily, I knew you were dancing with him but-"

"No, it's fine." Said Lily. "I didn't really like him anyway." Marlene sighed in relief and then joined up with the group.

"Well hopefully this will be the first of many." Said Dorcas as they walked back towards Lily's house.

"That place was amazing though, just think about it, we'll be able to move up a floor next year." Said Marlene.

"Wait, are we doing this next year?" asked Lily.

"Well it was nice." Said Mary, "Maybe this could be our thing."

"Yeah." Said Sarah, "Well maybe could all meet up to do school shopping as well."

"That's sound good." Said Lily. She lost track of the conversation beyond that point. She smiled to herself. This was what having friends was supposed to be like. It was how Lily had always imagined it walking down these same streets. Her home then came into view. She could see Petunia looking at them through her window.

"Is that your sister?" asked Marlene pointing up at the window.

"Yeah." Said Lily.

"She doesn't like witches." Said Dorcas. "She wasn't exactly friendly when I went round last time."

"She wasn't exactly thrilled to learn about you all coming over here." Said Lily. "She had a hug row with my mum over it."

"What did she think we'd do?" asked Mary.

"She thought we would brew potions and cast spells." Said Lily. "It was part of the reason my mum took my wand away." Lily reached into her bag and pulled out the house keys. "Because it would be so much easier to just Alohamora this door open." The door fell open, it opened slowly creaking as it fell further back. Lily looked back at her friends who looked just as shocked as she was.

"Did…did you just use magic?" asked Mary.

"I don't think I did." Said Lily pushing the door open.

"Girls, are you home?"

"Yes mum." Replied Lily. Lavender walked into the kitchen, she smiled and went to fill the kettle.

"Do you want some tea girls?"

"Yes please." Said Lily.

"I'll have one." said Dorcas.

"Do you have hot chocolate?" asked Mary.

"Good call, I'll have hot chocolate to." Said Lily.

"Make that three." said Dorcas. Lavender chuckled.

"Do all of you want hot chocolates?" asked Lavender. The unanimous nod gave Lavender her answer.

"Sweetpea." Lily turned round. "Go tell your father he might have to wait for his tea." Lily smiled and walked into the living room, her dad was sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper. He looked up from the paper at Lily's footsteps, he smiled at the sight of her.

"I'm guessing my tea's being back logged." He said smiling.

"Five hot chocolates first I'm afraid." Said Lily.

"Did you have a nice time?" asked John standing up.

"It was nice." said Lily, "Not really my scene though."

"I thought not." Said John, "You are like your mother, your home is in one of these." He held up Lavenders book. He placed it back down and enveloped her in a hug.

"Lily, chocolates up!" Lavender shouted. John let go of her.

"Don't forget my tea." Said John as Lily went back to the kitchen.

"Dad says he wants his tea." Said Lily walking in and sitting at the table with her friends. She picked up her hot chocolate and brought to her lips. It tasted good on her lips as it went down her throat.

"Well tell him he'll have to wait." Lavender refilled the kettle and put it on. "In the meantime, you can tell me why you were conning innocent boys out of drinks young lady." Lily looked wide eyed at her mother.

"No, no." she stuttered, "I would never do such a thing." She sank her mouth into her hot chocolate again, desperate for the drink to swallow her whole. She risked a look up at her mother who was smirking at her with an all knowing smile on her lips.

"Ok…so maybe one."

"Pfft, more like five." muttered Dorcas. Lily felt her cheeks go red as the rest of the girls laughed at her.

"I never knew you were such a tease Lily." said Lavender. "How did they take it?"

"How could they take it?" reasoned Dorcas. "The guy felt like a fool."

"Poor thing." Said Lavender as the kettle whistled.

* * *

Lily was still awake and looking around her room, all her friends were asleep while she was still awake, it was about three o'clock in the morning but Lily was wide awake. She looked at her friends sleeping hap-hazadly across her floor and thought about how surreal this was. Here she was, sharing her room with four other witches, her friends, no matter how many times she thought it, it didn't seem real. He more real it felt, the more Lily felt she had to lose. She reached over and pulled her dairy from her bedside table. She opened it and flicked through the pages till she found a blank page.

 _Dear Dairy._

 _I've really enjoyed myself today, it seems like so much good into my life has come from Hogwarts and everything in it. My five best friends are all here sleeping in my room after having so much fun at a disco and talking well into the night._

 _It doesn't seem like my life at all. Not one that I have ever known before. Like I've been borrowing someone else's._

 _I need to get out of this negative train of thought, one where every good thing seems like it's going to end. It's not, these are my friends, and they like me because I'm me. They don't think I'm a freak, or an outcast. I'm Lily Evans._

 _I hope we can do this every year, meet up over the summer, talk to each other about everything or anything._

 _Not even Petunia can stop this._

 _I love having friends._

"Lily?" Lily looked up at the foot of her bed and saw Dorcas looking drowsily at her. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, fine." Said Lily closing her diary.

"Is that a diary?" she asked. Dorcas got up and sat next to Lily on her bed.

"Yeah." Said Lily. "I've started keeping one."

"What's in it?" Lily pulled her duvet back and Dorcas got in with her. Lily opened the diary and showed her writings. Her doodles of stars, smiles, lyrics to songs she liked and small observations she had made over the summer.

"You know Lily."

"What?"

"I'm glad I'm your friend to." She pointed to a small passage on the corner of the page she was reading. There was a doodle of two girls sitting on a railing and underneath was something Lily had written underneath it.

I'm glad I have friends.

Lily snapped the diary shut again. Dorcas laughed into her palm at Lily's reaction as she got herself comfortable in bed.

"Don't get embarrassed." She said as she lay down to.

"I'm not." Said Lily hotly.

"You're a red head, you can't hide It." said Dorcas. They stayed silent for a little bit.

"Did you have a best friend before me?" asked Lily. Dorcas looked down at herself and Lily turned to face her.

"I did." Said Dorcas. "It seems like a long time ago now."

"What happened to them?" asked Lily.

"She died." Said Dorcas. Lily bit her lip and looked away from Dorcas, not really knowing what to say.

"I'm sorry…What was her name?"

"Harriet." Said Dorcas. "Harriet Potter." Lily now turned to face her.

"Harriet Potter?" said Lily. "As in…" Dorcas nodded and looked over at Lily.

"James had a sister." Said Dorcas. "And we were best friends until…well." Lily breathed out and hugged her.

"I'm sorry." She said again.

"It's fine." Said Dorcas. "I got over it." She pulled Lily's duvet round her and went to sleep.

 **The Marauders Proudly Present Lily Evans In: The Marauders Year Two**

 **Chapter Three**

 **Girls Night**

 **Written By Chambers10**


	4. Chapter 4

"Robert, Theodore, Murdoch. That is your name, is it not?" The Wizengamot was silent. The rows of immaculate dressed witches and wizards then went into murmured discussion.

"Yes, it is." Said Murdoch. He was in the kept in a cage with sharp skies on the inside and outside. It made sure that Murdoch had to stand up straight. Alec was watching from the public gallery. He couldn't see Murdoch face but was watching intently all the same, this was his case, and he was going to see it through till the end.

"And do you know why you have been called in front of this council today?" Murdoch looked round and smirked at Alec.

"Because I've been very naughty." He said looking back at the council.

"Robert Theodore Murdoch. You have been called before this council to answer these charges against our nation. You have been charged with three hundred and twenty seven counts of murder, over one thousand counts of torture in violation of the Geneva Convention, three counts of racketeering, five counts of drug trafficking, two counts of abducting a minor, three counts of endangering a minor and torturing a minor, along with fifty counts of terrorism." The head took a deep breath.

"How does the defended plea?"

* * *

" _Does it ever bother you?"_

" _Does what bother me?"_

" _That for all your moral authority in this world, you will always be treated with fear and contempt."_

 _Alec was sitting opposite Murdoch in an interrogation room. Neither party could see the walls around them, the only light coming from a solitary light bulb that only showed each other._

" _And this was your last request?" asked Alec. "To talk to me?"_

" _Well…as many colourful characters I've met in the past. No one has known me quite like you."_

" _I'm flattered." Said Alec. "But the fact that you share some warped connection with me makes me think I need to change some of my lifestyle choices."_

" _You're just my friend." Said Murdoch._

" _And you're a deranged Psychopath." Said Alec._

" _We all have our little problems." Replied Murdoch slowly._

" _So don't play games, tell me, why did you ask for me?" Murdoch raised his eyebrow._

" _I have information." He said. Alec leaned back in his chair._

" _Right, ok, Information." He said nodding his head. "And why are you telling me this now? Why didn't you tell your counsel?"_

" _Because they cannot be trusted." Said Murdoch._

" _And you trust me?" asked Alec. "Why…"_

 _Murdoch shrugged his shoulders_

" _There is word through the grape vine." Said Murdoch. "About a new power rising."_

" _I heard, Dracula." Said Alec. Murdoch chuckled and shook his head. Alec looked questioningly at him._

" _No, no." said Murdoch. "No, there's something else, someone far more dangerous than Vlad." Alec leaned forward._

" _Dracula is a threat but this guy, this guy is something else." Alec felt his stomach tighten. If Murdoch was wary of this guy, then he was a threat._

" _How did you come about this guy then?" asked Alec._

" _I found someone snooping in on my operation." Explained Murdoch. "I asked him who he was working for."_

" _And…did he tell you?" asked Alec. Murdoch shook his head._

" _No." he said, "All he gave me was, 'he, who must not be named.'" Alec looked at him quizzically._

" _He who must not be named?" said Alec. "What sort of name is that?"_

" _That's what I asked him." said Murdoch. "But he wouldn't talk any more than that, said he was already in trouble for blabbing."_

" _What happened to him?" asked Alec._

" _I found him the next morning, dead."_

" _How?"_

" _He was tortured first." said Murdoch. "The cruciatus curse, and then he was killed using the omega curse."_

" _The death that is life?" said Alec confused. "That hasn't been heard of in centuries." Murdoch nodded._

" _But there was something else as well." He said, "Something on his arm that caught my eye."_

" _Which was?"_

" _It was a strange sign, one I thought I recognised from somewhere. Something very old and I thought lost to history."_

" _What was it?" asked Alec._

" _I need some parchment and a quill." Asked Murdoch._

" _I wasn't born yesterday Murdoch." Alec snapped back. "Describe it to me. You did always have a way with words." Murdoch laughed._

" _Very true." He said, "It was the mark of Salazar Slytherin." Alec frowned and cocked his head slightly._

" _The skull and the snake?"_

" _Exactly." Said Murdoch. "Which means, it could have been the same person who killed that mudblood at Hogwarts."_

" _The heir of Salazar Slytherin." Said Alec. "The chamber of secrets. Come of it Murdoch, you know as well as I do that was all a myth."_

" _What about the girl who died?" Alec quickly got to his feet and began to pace the room, but still seeable by the light. Maybe this was connected to the new Sons of Salazar._

" _An accident." He said finally._

" _Rubeus getting expelled? Come on Alec, you're supposed to be the world's greatest detective. Even I can see that wasn't right, why would they keep him on as gamekeeper if he could open the chamber at will?"_

" _So who do you think it was?"_

" _This he who must not be named." Said Murdoch. "Because when I caught this guy, he was talking to him."_

" _And?"_

" _He's also a parselmouth." Alec sat back down and leaned back again in his chair. It would make sense, the sign of Salazar Slytherin resembled a parselmouth, the skull with a snake coming out of its mouth. And it would make sense that Slytherin's heir was also a parselmouth._

" _What you're saying is that the heir of Slytherin is this, he who must not be named." Said Alec._

" _Who else would know the mark?" Said Murdoch._

" _So does anyone else know of this guy?" asked Alec. "This, he who must not be named and The Sons of Salazar, are they related in anyway?" Murdoch shook his head._

" _I've never heard of a Sons of Salazar." Said Murdoch. "I don't know his motives, what his plan is."_

" _So he isn't really a threat." Said Alec. "If he really hasn't got any plans." Murdoch's mouth curled into a smile._

" _Maybe he has a plan, but you just don't know about it." Said Murdoch. "He could be planning something brutal right now and you would have no idea. He could be plotting to kill your family in your own home and you wouldn't even know it." Alec had heard enough. He didn't like not knowing._

" _And what are you looking for in return?" asked Alec. "I told you once I would make you pay for what you did you won't live because of this."_

" _I know you love your historic quotes, so I'll share one with you I'm quite fond off." Said Murdoch. "Beware the man who can strike from a distance."_

" _Aristotle."_

" _If a man can kill someone under my nose then they are good." Said Murdoch. "If they can gather an army underneath your nose then there very good indeed."_

" _The heir of Slytherin is not making a play." Said Alec going to get up. "Now, if you're done wasting my time, I'll see you at the kiss. It's supposed to be unbearable but I'll do my best." He got up and began to walk out the room._

" _Oh, and I'm sorry about the whole trying to kill your son thing." Said Murdoch. Alec stopped, after a second he turned his head back._

" _I would say it wasn't personal, but, we both know that's a lie. I'll save you a seat in hell next to me."_

* * *

"Guilty." Said Murdoch. The court went into animated discussion and hand waving.

"ORDER! ORDER!" The murmurs stopped.

"Robert Theodore Murdoch, you will be sentenced to death by way of the Dementor kiss at Azkaban Prison. Is there anything you'd like to say in your defence?"

Murdoch shuffled, his chains rattling and looked up at the court.

"Everything I did was for the good of our kind." Said Murdoch.

"No matter how cruel, or barbaric, was for the good of keeping our way of life. One day someone will continue what I and Grindewald have started. But like every evil it will evolve to become crueller, more barbaric, more ways to shock you. So although you've caught me…someone will take my place that will be more dangerous. All I can tell you is that you are not prepared for what's coming next."

Alec shook his head.

"Can I die now?" he added. The cage was lowered into the ground, Murdoch looked back at Alec one last time before the hole in the ground was covered up. The court slowly started to file out.

"Why did he keep looking back at you?" Alec turned to Stanford Parks. "I don't know." Said Alec folding his arms.

"Why did he want to talk to you?" Alec didn't say anything, he just rose from his seat.

"To confess." He said.

"Stanford, Stanford, can I have that word."

"Oh, yes." A man walked over to them, he was young, with greased back black hair and a handsome face, he was wearing judge clothes.

"Alec, this is Edward Gamine." Said Alec. "A Member of the Wizengamot for the realm."

"Mr Gamine." Said Alec shaking his hand. "I don't think we've met before."

"Oh we have." He said, the accent came from old money, but very pompous and conceited. "We've just never spoken before."

"Right." Said Alec. "I'll leave you two to It." Alec went to walk away.

"Actually Mister Potter. I was hoping to speak to you two about a troubling matter." Alec turned back. Gamine was smiling at him, Alec only realised now that his Irises were blood red. Very strange.

"How did you get the Red Irises?" asked Alec. Gamine smile.

"True to your reputation, you never miss a detail, do you Mr Potter?" He said. "Well, it was an unfortunate incident with the thing I'm about to discuss with you." Alec looked to Parks who nodded.

"The Minister has instructed me to set up a task for to deal with the growing Vampire crisis in Romania." He said. "There are rumours that Dracula has risen again."

"Pretty high up for MW." Said Alec. Stanford looked shiftily at Alec and then to Gamine.

"I sit on the defence council." Said Gamine, "By appointment of the Minister."

"With Gerald Smith retiring soon, the Senator position is coming up isn't?" said Alec. Gamine chuckled.

"I don't have aspirations of that just yet Mister Potter." He said laughing. "Anyway, I have reason to believe that the Vampires are expanding their lands. And not for farming or Sheep herding."

"Are they killing more?" asked Alec. "Is this what that tuberculosis crisis the muggles are prattling on about is?"

"In fewer words, yes." Said Gamine.

"What do you want us to do?" asked Stanford.

"For the moment. Nothing." Said Gamine. Alec looked at Parks and then at Gamine.

"Nothing?" said Alec. "So why are you here?"

"We believe that there are more diplomatic channels to resolving this crisis. I know you are famed for going in and solving all our problems, but right now the people want diplomacy. There tired of us playing chicken with the Russians on the big stage, wizards and witches don't want the same here."

"With respect, they will find out eventually." Said Alec. "And what are you going to do then?"

"I'm positive that it will work." Said Gamine.

"They tried that with Hitler and I'll tell you what I told Neville Chamberlin." Alec got in Gamine's face. "If you make a deal with the devil make sure it's watertight."

"And we all know what happened next."

"There is no 'Hitler' equivalent Mr Potter." Said Gamine. "Dracula has been gone for decades, thanks to your old instructor if I'm not mistaken."

"He knew what he was doing." Said Alec quietly.

"You don't like me, do you Mister Potter."

"Oh no, what I hate is stooges who think they know better." Said Alec. "I appreciate that you are trying to do this diplomatically, but these vampires are the spawn of Dracula, they will only respond to force."

"They seem open to communication at the moment." Gamine straightened his tie. "But I wouldn't worry about that Mr Potter. From what I've heard, you won't be going anywhere near this."

"Fine by me." Said Alec. "Stanford, Mr Gamine, I should get going."

He walked back swiftly to the elevator. What a prick thought Alec.

"Where to sir?"

"Auror Precinct Gary."

"Uhm…yes Sir." The attendant pressed the button and the elevator shot off. He looked over at Alec nervously, trying not to be noticed, Alec looked over at him.

"Something bothering you?"

"Uhm…it's just, I thought no one here knew my name." he said.

"I always make time to learn people's names." Said Alec. The Lift came to a Holt.

"Auror Precinct."

"Have a nice day." Said Alec walking out.

"You to sir." The lift disappeared as Alec walked into the Auror precinct.

The Auror precinct is one of the most secretive departments in the Ministry of Magic. It was fist established by Professor Gabriel Van Helsing after his excursion with Dracula, it's job was to hunt and kill dark wizards and witches along with dark creatures.

Only the best got into the Auror's. Only O's would get you into training, and if you past training, then you were quickly accepted. Although recently, they made the Auror's a branch of the Magical Enforcement Squad. Meaning less qualified wizards were getting through with less training. It also meant that Alec's office was now here.

Alec was one of the few old Auror's left, the Auror's used to share headquarters with the SAS in Hereford.

The department was like an American police bull pen with every officer having their own desk. Alec though had to walk to the other side of the room through the rows of desks before coming to what the Enforcers knew as the Auror door. It separated the two departments that Alec was grateful at least. Alec placed his hand on a small panel that read his palm print, the blue light passed up and down before turning green and opening the door.

Alec walk inside and towards his office, he opened the door and saw someone sitting in his chair by his desk. The first thing he noticed where a pair of shapely legs that where sticking out of the side of his desk. He then looked up at the woman behind the desk. She had brown hair that was tied up in a bun with dark brown eyes behind a pair of dark rimmed glasses. She was very attractive, tanned skin, piercing eyes and an easy smile on her face. She was wearing a fitted shirt with a couple of buttons undone to show off an ample cleavage.

"Ah, Mr Potter." She said. She tapped her pen on the desk. "Your late." Alec frowned and closed the door behind him.

"I didn't realise I was expected." He said.

"Well." She rose from the chair and walked towards him. She swayed her hips seductively as she walked towards him. "You are." She placed her hand on his chest.

"Jane!" The woman backed down and huffed. Alec smirked and walked to his desk and sat in his chair.

"Can't relent? Just once?" The door opened and new woman came in. She was old with a toad like face and horrible pink suit.

"Thanks Jemma." She said sweetly, "Wait outside please." The girl looked disappointed but went outside.

"What do you want?" asked Alec. "I'm busy." Jane didn't look impressed and turned her nose up at the state of Alec's office. It was covered with stray papers and fast food containers after long nights at the office.

"I've come to talk to you, as you know, Robert Murdoch's trial today."

"I know, I've just come back from It." said Alec.

"The minister commends you for your capture of the criminal, but… Where unhappy."

"Meaning your unhappy."

"Where unhappy about the time scale it took you to apprehend the criminal." Alec laughed.

"Of course you would."

"We."

"No, you." said Alec, his serious demeanour.

"It took you almost a year to track him down after the evidence was offered up." Said Jane.

"But I caught him." said Alec. "Like I always do." Jane's frowned.

"Potter, your record is…faultless." She looked very uncomfortable saying it. "Which is why the timescale for his capture is being called into question." Alec stopped clearing up and turned to face her. He folded his arms across his chest.

"I don't like what your implying." Said Alec seriously. "That's a serious allegation."

"Potter, you spoke to Robert Murdoch, in private after his capture, his last request was to speak to you, again, in private. I'm sorry, but we have to assume."

"You assume."

"We assume." Said Jane angrily at his interruption, "That maybe you had something to do with his operation."

"WHAT!" Alec stood back up. "ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE!"

"No Potter, I'm not." Said Jane. "The average timescale for a mission like Murdoch's for you is eight days. It took you eight months."

"And you think I was helping him!" shouted Alec, "Why would I help him!"

"I don't know." Said Jane, "But all avenues must be explored, so while I continue this investigation, you will be suspended until the results of my inquiry are in." Alec got to his feet.

"You know you AI's are really a pain in the fucking arse!" said Alec, "And how the hell a dumb pen pusher came the head of them I'll never know, although I'm guessing another form of head was involved." The slight grin that had been on Jane's face had now disappeared at Alec's insult.

"You're a dying breed Potter." She said, "Between me and you I want you off this team, along with moody as you two are going to destroy this department and all it stands for, the old days are gone when you had any means necessary, you have rules now."

"So you're just going to try and get rid of us so you have a whole department that falls in line with you." Alec looked down at her. "Over, my, dead, body!"

"It's not yours to walk over." Said Jane. "But it would be nice anyway. Now." she looked up at him.

"Clear your things, you're done."

"For now." said Alec, "I'll see you in two weeks." Alec pushed past her and out of the room. He waited for Jemma, who was leaning against the door to move before storming off. Jane looked around the room and turned her nose up again at it. "Jemma."

"Yes Miss Umbridge?"

"Get the cleaners down here and clean this office." Said Umbridge, "And make sure all his papers are on my desk imeadietly."

"Yes Miss Umbridge." Said Jemma.

"And clean yourself up, your flirtatious charm won't be needed now." She pushed past Jemma and out the room while Jemma put her glasses more firmly on her nose and buttoned up her blouse.

* * *

Alec reached the ministry hall and went straight to one of the fire places. He grabbed a handful of floo powder and threw it into the fire which ignited, he stepped inside and turned.

"Potter farm!" he said angrily. The green flames engulfed him and sent him spiralling until he stepped out of his own fire place. He threw himself onto the sofa and exhaled loudly. Alec ran his hands over his face, one hand then fell onto the floor.

"Alec? Is that you?" Katherine walked into the living room. She noticed his legs handing from over the sofa.

"Could you of taken them off?" she asked referring to his boots.

"Go away." he replied. Katherine leaned on the back of the sofa and looked down at her husband.

"I thought you'd be happy." She said. "Murdoch's been put down, so that's all over."

"Not nearly." said Alec. He looked up at Katherine who raised her eyebrow. "I've been suspended."

"What?" Katherine walked round and batted Alec's legs lightly so she could sit down next to him. Alec did and leaned into Katherine, she gently massaged his scalp.

"I've been suspended." Alec said again.

"Why?" asked Katherine.

"I.A think I've been working with him." said Alec.

"Umbridge thinks it, doesn't she?" Alec nodded dejectedly.

"She wants to force me out." He said, "I've been suspended for two weeks."

"What cause does she have though?"

"Because of the timescale of the mission along with my average search and capture rate." explained Alec. "And also the fact that I was his last request. She thinks I have something to hide."

"She won't find anything." said Katherine smiling at him. "I know you and you're going to be just fine, I know it." Alec looked up her.

"How was I lucky enough to get a wife like you?" he asked.

"You weren't." said Katherine, "You were fortunate there weren't any better suitors." They both laughed before falling into a comfortable silence.

"I can see one positive from this."

"What's that?"

"You have two weeks at home now." said Katherine, "We can just relax and not worry about anything."

"Spend some time with James." Said Alec.

"There, exactly." Said Katherine, "It's not all doom and gloom, sometimes we can't see the good things." Alec smiled.

"Where is he anyway?" asked Alec.

"He's staying with Leanne, remember." Said Katherine shaking her head, "Honestly after all this time I'd thought you'd still listen to me."

"Humph."

"I think that's plenty." Katherine turned back to look at him.

"Plenty for-!"

She was cut off by Alec kissing her. His hands raking through her greying red hair, while Katherine's cupped his face gently.

"Alec, were almost sixty." She said seriously after they broke for breath. "Were too old for to be doing this,"

"I don't think so." Said Alec. "I just want the world to know I love my wife." His hands then slid under her arms and her sweater came off. She huffed which then turned into an amused giggle.

"Ok, ok." She said, she sighed and rose from the couch.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"The bedroom?" Alec shook his head and pulled her back down on the sofa.

* * *

"You haven't lost your touch." Said Katherine.

"It comes with the territory." Said Alec not really listening. Katherine giggled into his shoulder and rubbed his chest. Katherine looked up at Alec and saw that familiar look on his face. He was thinking about the next task at hand, the next mission. Katherine sighed and cuddled closer to him.

"You're doing that thing again." she said lightly.

"What thing?" asked Alec looking back at her.

"That thing where you're thinking about work." Said Katherine. She pulled herself up and rested herself on his chest now. "What's going on in that head of yours?" she asked tapping his head. Alec exhaled.

"Nothing." He said absentmindedly. Katherine smiled and nuzzled Alec's neck with her nose.

"I know that means something." Said Katherine gently kissing his neck. "What is it Alec, you can tell me." Alec sighed.

"Have you ever heard of someone called…he who must not be named?" asked Alec. Katherine laid down again.

"No." she said, "I haven't." Alec kissed her hair.

"It's ok." He said.

"Should I of?"

"No." said Alec sighing.

"Where did you hear it?" asked Katherine.

"Murdoch's last request." Said Alec, "It's what he wanted to talk about." Katherine made a small accepting sound.

"Does he have something to do with those Sons of Salazar?" asked Katherine.

"Apparently not." Said Alec. Katherine sighed.

"You ok?" he asked. Katherine nodded.

"Yeah I'm fine." She said. "Minnie's coming over tonight."

"Is she?"

"Yeah, so could you make yourself scares?"

"If I must." Katherine smiled.

"I'm sure you'll find something to do." She said rising from the bed. Alec rose from the bed to and started to get changed.

"So where do you think you'll go?" Alec looked outside at the dark night.

"I have an idea."

* * *

Knockturn alley, a new development built off the existing Diagon Alley in the 1890's. It was made to hold new boutiques, homes, shops, but also, night clubs and swinging hot spots. A place like this was always going to attract the good and the bad people in the wizarding world.

The good was that more tourists were coming to London to do their magical shopping. It brought more money to the economy and helped set up a surviving business. The flipside to all this though was that it attracted the crime world with it. No longer where they underground, but they were hiding in plain view in this new built up area of London.

It technically fell into the Enforcers jurisdiction the deal with them. But Alec didn't trust them, they were spineless and weak when it came to dealing with these people. They didn't have what it took to get to their level, to play dirty.

Alec knew how to deal with them, they just needed coaxing from time to time, and they knew things that other people didn't. It was a necessary evil to have them around, them being the O'Leary family.

They did everything, smuggling in banned potion ingredients and pets, run racketeering firms and protection from shops on the new alley as it was called. The 'family' was led by one Andrew O'Leary. They all hung out at Seven Leaf Clover on the new alley, it was a brick work building that was a restaurant on the front with an underground club at the bottom.

Alec was thinking about going there. But there were more buildings that the O'Leary's owned and used for more muggle activities.

The street was busy with underage wizards and witches getting drunk outside the numerous bars and clubs in what was called the Knockturn Area. Girls dressed in next to nothing talking to wizards who were trying in vain to get lucky. As Alec walked down the street he wondered if Harriet would be like this. His eyes wondered towards a girl with long black hair, he couldn't see her front, but by judging her dress, she was showing far too much skin to be deemed appropriate. He shook his head and bypassed the group. He looked up and saw the place he needed to go. Unlike all of the other clubs this place only had a hand full of wizards outside. It was a tall building with blacked out windows, the second floor showed what this place was.

Lucky Clover Gentleman's Club.

The neon girls shook their hips seductively as Alec approached the building. The men on the door where big and bulging in muscles. Alec looked at them top and down, he could have them on the floor and knocked out by the time they started to pounce on him. Alec walked down towards the door which was lowered into the pavement.

"What do you want Potter?" one of them asked. "You do realise you're not welcome here." Alec smirked and stopped just outside the door.

"I just want a little chat with your boss." Said Alec pleasantly. "I think he owes me a favour after I stumbled across one of his little smuggling operation in Cardiff. Of which coincidently," He pointed to the two of them, "Didn't I see you two there?" both looked at each other uncomfortably before looking at Alec again who raised his eyebrow.

"Who knows, I might get a drink as well." Both of the doormen looked at each other before stepping aside and letting Alec in. The queue to get inside started to voice their displeasure. Alec descended down the stairs into the purple and pink light. As he reached the bottom a small room came into view with a girl who was only wearing a bra and knickers sitting behind a booth while loudly chewing gum. She had average looks with tied back blonde hair.

"I told Leroy not to send anyone daaan." She said in a thick cockney accent.

She looked up at the intrusion. Her angry face instantly softened. "Ah, Alec." She said smiling while still chewing on her gum. "Business or pleasure?"

"Business Roxy."

"Not what I think?" she said. "You've been suspended."

"How do you already know that?" asked Alec, not bothering to deny it.

"Well, that young Auror, what's his name, Cartwright?" Alec grunted and turned around. He sighed before turning back and raising an eyebrow. "He told you."

"Well…" Roxy shrugged her shoulders, and then leaning over the counter, "I know what he likes." Alec rolled his eyes.

"Is your boss in?" he asked.

"He's in the VIP area." She said picking up the phone behind the booth. "I'll need to make sure he's up to seeing you."

"Well if he's here then he's seeing his mistress and I think I'm going to a fundraiser with his wife next month."

"I'll let him know his balls are in a vice then." She said nodding and waiting for the pickup. "Hey, it's the counter." Said Roxy. "The boss has a guest…Alec Potter." There was a silence.

"He says business…yeah, and he said about the fundraiser next month." There was a pause from the phone. "Ok I'll send him up." She placed the phone down.

"He's expecting you." she said, "Be a good boy, we don't want to buy a new window."

"I'll behave." Said Alec as he walked through the door to the lower area.

The lower area was where the general public came to enjoy the shows the Lucky Clover offered. The room had two raised catwalks with a circular end which had a pole that almost met in the middle of the floor. Each catwalk had seats that went down the runway with a more clustered seating at the ends. The room was basked in low pink light which came from neon light underneath the bar at the very back of the room which took up almost all of it and from lighting in the ceiling that made the room dark.

Alec noticed some people from the ministry looking at some of the girls dancing on the poles dressed in almost nothing. Any girl who worked here started here, at the bottom, the floor, as you got better; you progressed to the pole, and after that, VIP. That's where Alec needed to go.

He started to walk across the room, weaving in and out of men leering at the girls. "Hey mister, looking for a good time?"

"No, thank you." said Alec continuing to walk towards a stairway at the end of the room.

"It's only Ten Galleons a dance."

"I said no." said Alec brushing her off and continued to walk towards the door that was being guarded by another door man. As Alec approached the man stood aside and Alec continued to walk up the stairs. As Alec reached the top he opened the door into the VIP area.

This room's decor and layout was much more different than downstairs. The music was much calmer, it encouraged the dancers to dance sexy rather than playful. The Area was bathed in dark blue light this time, but there were no catwalks. Instead there were six separate performing areas slightly raised up but with circular sofas around the performing area.

People that came here mostly came through the back for more discrete entrance. The people that came here included notable Quidditch players with wives, politicians of the same speak, even the minister of magic had come here a couple of times. Over a hundred Galleons to even set foot in here, almost triple to have a private dance.

Alec looked over at one of the booths in the corner of the room that was being guarded with an older man and a younger man watching a blonde girl in stockings, suspenders and heels dancing slowly. Alec walked towards them with his hands in his pockets.

"Ah, Alec." The girl stopped dancing briefly to look at Alec, he noted she was wearing ruby lipstick before continuing. "I was half expecting you to turn up."

"Do you want me to get rid of him dad." James O'Leary, the oldest son of Andrew, he looked like his dad in his youth. Brown hair with hard features and blue eyes.

"No son." Andrew O'Leary, head of the family, he was larger now than in his youth but still had the muscles the defined him during that era. He also had a beard that was slowly turning ginger. "He can't be here to scare me, because he's been suspended." He smirked. "So this must be a pleasure trip."

"Well you have been so hospital." Said Alec, "Usually I have to break an arm and a leg to come up here."

"Hey!" James rose up and got in Alec's face, "You better show our family some respect!"

"Back down boy." Said Andrew. "Sure Alec can be heavy handed, but he's also fair. Apologies about the youth of today." He said wearily. "He's to hothead for his own good."

"Bet it's bad for business." Said Alec smirking at James who seethed with anger. "Mind if I take a seat." Andrew laughed and nodded.

"By all means." He said. "Be nice to have a drink with an old friend. What's your poison?"

"Johnny Walker Gold on the rocks." Said Alec, Andrew pointed at the bar and the bartender got to work while Alec walked towards the booth.

"Ah no you don't." Said James standing in front of Alec. "You're not sitting down here."

"For fuck sake." Said Andrew wearily. "Jimbo, move your arse!"

"Dad, you made me head of your security." Said James, "So people don't try and kill you. He's an Auror, he would kill you."

"He's been suspended." Said Andrew, "He's not going to try and kill me."

"Did you forget what he did last time he waltzed in here?" asked James. "He put me, and five other brothers in the hospital!"

"As an Auror." Said Andrew, "Besides, I think Mr Potter just wants a drink and a little chat." James looked back at Alec.

"You're not getting past." Alec tutted and rolled his eyes.

"Andrew?"

"By all means." He said taking a sip from his own drink.

"Wait, wh-UMPH!" Alec punched James in the stomach, placed him in an arm lock and threw him to the floor.

"My drinks ready." Said Alec taking his coat off. Andrew laughed.

"Still carry those pistols." Said Andrew chuckling. The holsters where there behind Alec's back.

"Can't be too careful." Said Alec showing his own wand in its holster.

"So, Alec, what brings you to this corner of the New Alley?" Asked Andrew, "Not trading up are you?" he asked pointing up at the girl dancing. Alec's eyes flickered to her swaying her body to the slow music.

"She's very talented." Commented Andrew. "Reserve Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies, twenty one years old." Alec tore his eyes away.

"I'm guessing that you know her well in and out of work." Said Alec. Andrew smirked.

"You can do that all you want." He said. "I'm a changed man." Alec cast his eye over the girl again. All the signs where there than she was sleeping with Andrew, he looked over at him and noticed the ruby ring on his left hand. It was a sign of the head of the family passed down from Grandma O'Leary, Alec raised an eyebrow.

"Do you really want me to tell you how changed you are?" asked Alec. He heard a wheeze from behind him and saw James standing behind him with his drink.

"Your drink." He said through gritted teeth.

"Thanks." Said Alec taking it.

"Have to apologise about him." said Andrew. "He really is a hot head, has no idea how relationships like this actually work."

"Don't worry, my James will be the same no doubt." Said Alec taking a sip. The liquid was welcoming down his throat.

"So what does bring you here?" asked Andrew as the girl danced in front of them.

"I need to ask you something." said Alec sipping his drink. "Have you ever heard of someone called he who must not be named?" Andrew leaned back on the sofa and sipped on his drink.

"That's a very dangerous thing to ask Alec." He said.

"So there is someone." Said Alec, "Who is he?"

"Who told you about him?"

"Murdoch." Said Alec. Andrew chuckled.

"I thought he might," Said Andrew, "Just once more before he kicked the bucket."

"So you knew?" Andrew leaned in closer.

"This He who must not be named, came to me." He said, "He gave me and ultimatum. Conform, or die."

"What does he do?"

"What we do." Said Andrew showing his hand around. "He's gaining ground from the smaller families very quickly, putting them out of business if they don't…"

"Conform?" Andrew nodded.

"Murdoch was running with him when you were tracking him down the first time." explained Andrew, "Human trafficking from Asia."

"But why."

"Murdoch always swam with the biggest fish in the pond Alec." Said Andrew, "He was in my payroll for a couple of months before he jumped ship."

"And this was…what?"

"Nearly sixteen years ago." Said Andrew. "Thankfully this he who must not be named hasn't been heard of by my lot since."

"But you have kept an eye on him right?" Andrew didn't say anything and continued to drink. "Come on Andrew, your holding out on me." Andrew placed his drink down and looked over scathingly at Alec.

"And what do I get in return for the information I 'might' of procured?"

"We have a common interest in this." Said Alec, "I want to find this guy and find out who he is, and I'm guessing that you want him in the ground so you can expand the Empire again." Andrew looked over at Alec.

"So, I give you the information, you can take care of it?"

"It all depends on what you know." Said Alec, "So win or lose, you'll still won't lose anything." Alec could see Andrew thinking it over. He looked at Alec before sighing.

"You do realise I can't be connected to this."

"Neither can I." said Alec, "This will be done on the side." Andrew nodded. He looked at Alec before nodding again.

"Ok." said Andrew. "I want this guy six foot under though."

"I can't promise that." Said Alec, "If it comes to that, then I will." Andrew snapped his fingers and James came over gingerly.

"Go get the V file for Alec." He said. James scowled at Alec before sulking away to gather the file.

"I must warn you though Alec." Said Andrew. "This guy is ruthless."

"So I've been told." Said Alec thinking back to what Murdoch said about how dangerous this guy was. "Robert said he was Dangerous."

"So what do you know about him?"

"That's he's a parcel mouth." Said Alec, "But is also a fan of the Omega curse."

"That makes sense." Said Andrew, "A couple of my guys had a run in with him. It looks like they just fell down."

"It's a favourite of Murdoch." Said Alec.

"And now this guy." Said Andrew. He chuckled, "Looks like the world won't let you stop." Both men laughed as they drank. It was almost like they weren't enemies, more like old friends catching up over a drink.

"Here you are dad." said James bitterly handing Andrew the folder. He then handed it to Alec who flicked it open and looked at the first page. It was hand written notes, from what Alec could make out it was surveillance notes.

"So you've followed him then?"

"We've tried." Said Andrew. "Sorry it's not much to go on. But then again you've caught people with less."

"Won't deny that." Said Alec closing the folder. "He'd have a look at it when he got back home."

"So is Umbridge going to find anything on you?" asked Andrew.

"Nah." Said Alec. "She's always had it on for me. But she can't get rid of me because my record it faultless."

"Don't I know it." Muttered Andrew. Alec downed the rest of his drink and stood up with the file under his arm.

"Thanks for the drink." Said Alec. "If you get any more information on this guy, let me know."

"Will do Alec." He said. One of the bouncers got Alec's coat and he put it on.

"Enjoy the rest of your evening." He said pointing over towards the girl who had been dancing all the while they had been talking.

"Amuse me then." Said Andrew, "How do you know?" Alec's eyes looked over the scene before him, it was trying to distinguish all the little things that happened during the conversation, the body language and small details.

Hair-cheeks-skin-skin rash-good student-smoker-tea lover-left handed-lipstick-early lunch-curious of me-dilated pupils-heaving chest-exercise?-athlete? Athlete-experienced-two plus years- infatuation.

Alec's mind slowed down and placed what he wanted to say in his head.

"Her cheek." said Alec.

"Hers." Andrew said looking at the girl who had stopped dancing long enough to listen to Alec.

"She has a stubble rash on her cheeks and the base of her neck, probably from where you've kissed her neck. Her nail varnish is also on you forearms as well as you skin underneath her left hand fingertips." The girl looked at her fingers and looked up at Alec.

"Not to mention that her lipstick is also the same shade as the ring that you have on your left hand, some sort of warped recognition to associate herself with you, as if she belongs to you." Alec pushed the collar up in his coat. "But then there's the also the way she looks at you, heart rate elevated, as evident by the heaving of her chest, really love, was very distracting." The girl turned away offended. "Not to mention her pupils are much more dilated than would be considered normal." Alec nodded and turned away and started to walk towards the back entrance of the club.

"I'll be in touch."

"That guys a psychopath!" the girl said.

"He's been called worse." Said Andrew as he walked out of the back exit and down the fire escape.

 **The Marauders Proudly Present Alec Potter In: The Marauders Year Two**

 **Chapter Four**

 **The Sons Of Salazar**

 **Written By Chambers10**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Marauders Proudly Present Alec Potter and Lily Evans In: The Marauders: Year Two**

 **Chapter Five**

 **Man In The Mirror**

 **Written By Chambers10**

 **Potter Farm house:**

 _"With the growing number of casualties, people are now starting to think there might well be a new Vampire Leader leading this new attack, although none have stepped forward some are thinking that Dracula has risen again."_

"Impossible." Alec muttered to himself.

Alec was sitting outside on the patio looking over the garden. The night was warm as he looked through the file that O'Leary had given him.

 _"In other news the Sons of Salazar have taken credit for a bomb attack-"_ Alec's concentration drifted from the radio as his eyes scanned over the paper, his concentration was disturbed by Katherine wrapping her arms around him.

"You're finally out." She teased, kissing the back of his neck. "You've been setting up your mind board again." Alec smiled.

"Sort of." He said. "I just needed some fresh air." Katherine leaned over and plucked the file from Alec's hand. "Hey!"

"I'm just seeing what you working on." Said Katherine walking backwards while Alec got up from his seat to follow her. He saw Katherine frown when she inspected the back of the file and didn't find the Ministry seal on the back.

"Where did you get this?" she asked. "More to the point." She flickered through it. "What is it?"

"A new case." Said Alec.

"But you're suspended." Pointed out Katherine. "You shouldn't be doing another case." She said this while not looking up at him. "And it's clearly not a ministry case. Which brings me back to the first question. Where did you get this?" Alec gulped. But Katherine knew when he was lying.

"I got from O'Leary." Said James. "I've been following this you know who and I thought that he may have some leads." Katherine closed the file.

"You promised me."

"I know I did." Said Alec. "But they know things, I needed some answers."

"Then why didn't you tell me you were going."

"I knew it would upset you." said Alec.

"What, the fact that you're working when you should be resting or that you're going to see the O'Leary's."

"Both." Said Alec. "And I've been proved right because you're going off on a rant."

"A RANT!" she shouted. "OF COURSE I AM, YOU PROMISED ME YEARS AGO THAT YOU WOULD NEVER GO BACK THERE!"

"And I kept my promise." Said Alec. "You know I still have to go to places like this for work. Like I needed to go there again." Katherine sighed deeply and ran her hands through her hair.

"But I've some new leads on this case." Said Alec. Katherine laughed sardonically.

"After all these years…you, really still don't know me, do you?" Alec looked confused at her. Katherine looked down. "If, doing this case is more important to you, then go ahead." She said sadly. "I'll still be here."

Alec ran her hands through his hair, messing it up and letting it fall. "Your right." Katherine blinked.

"You are right." He said, "I shouldn't be working on this."

"I never said-"

"You didn't need to." Said Alec. He smiled slightly. "It was written all over your face."

"I hate when you do that." Said Katherine folding her arms. Alec walked towards her.

"I'll go put this back, and then we'll go away somewhere."

"Where?"

"Anywhere." Said Alec. "I hear Hawaii's good this time of year." Katherine laughed and shook her head.

"You still know exactly what to say." She said.

"I know." Said Alec. "You get ready and pack, I need to make one stop off before I go."

"Really?" she said. "And where's that."

"The Evans's." said Alec. "I need to inform them how the hearing went with Murdoch."

"About his death sentence?"

"…Yeah." Katherine nodded.

"Then go." She said. "I'll be here." Alec kissed her forehead and apparated.

* * *

"Lily! Lily! Will you get the door?" Lily sighed and turned the corner of her book, she rose from her seat on the sofa and over towards the door. She undid the chain and pulled back the door. She saw the familiar face of Alec Potter standing in the doorway, he almost looked like a giant to her in the doorway, but when his face came into the light, it was very business-like.

"Lily Evans." He said. "The only girl I know who's given Alistair Moody the run around." Lily felt her cheeks go warm and smile."

"Mr Potter." She said a little timid. "It's so good to see you."

"And you. Are your parents in?"

"Yeah, yeah they are. Mum, you have a visitor." Lavender came to the door first.

"Auror Potter." She said. "Please come in." Lily stepped aside and Alec walked into the home. He took his coat off and placed it on the wall.

"Who is it Lav?" It was a man's voice.

"It's the man I was telling you about Dad." said Lavender. "The one who saved Lily's life." Alec heard a chair scraping from the kitchen and Martin walked into the kitchen. As soon as his eyes lay on Alec he froze.

"You…" Lavender and Lily looked between the two men. Martin looked Alec up and down.

"You aged well." Martin said taking a step forward.

"Wish I could say the same about you." said Alec.

"I need some of that wizarding DNA." Said Martin.

"Do you two know each other?" asked Lavender confused. Both men looked at her and then back at each other.

"Yeah." Said Martin.

"How?" asked Lily, horrified that hers and Potter's family where intertwined in some way.

"We ran missions together in World War One." said Martin. "He was a lot younger back then."

"So where you." said Lavender.

"Looks like you settled down and had that family you always dreamed off." Said Alec looking at Lavender and Lily.

"Did you?" asked Martin.

"Eventually." Said Alec. "Good to see life's treated you well."

"Old age has mellowed you." said Martin. "Not so much the young wise cracker I remember."

"Time may change me." Said Alec. He turned to Lavender who was looking curiously at the two of them.

"So wait, this guy is and old army buddy of yours." Said Lavender. "I told you his name and it never occurred to you?"

"I thought he'd be dead by now." Alec chuckled.

"I maybe older but not harder to kill." He said. "To be fair it's been a long time since we've seen each other."

"Over fifty years. I guess you were in the second one to."

"Yeah." Said Alec. "Not nice places to be."

"I wasn't for that one. Too busy looking after her and her brothers." He said pointing to Lavender.

"Why are you here?" asked Lavender abruptly, trying to change the subject. "Not to sound rude."

"I have news about Murd…" he looked down at Lily. Lavender nodded.

"Why don't we go into the kitchen. Lily, why don't you go up to your room."

"Mum I want to know." Said Lily.

"Your Mum will tell you later." Said Martin nodding. "We just need to talk in private first."

"But it happened to me, why can't I know!" asked Lily. Alec looked over at a lamp in the corner that was flickering. He looked back at Lily.

"Lily, don't raise your voice!" Said Lavender.

"Why can't I though?" asked Lily, "I'm not a child!" Alec looked out of the corner of his eye again at the lamp that was flickering more and more with Lavender's daughter's temper.

"But you're not an adult either Lily." said Lavender. "Now go, we'll talk about this later." Lily looked to Alec, hoping he'd take her side.

"I'll make sure your mum tells you." said Alec. "Besides, I need to talk to you as well later." The look Lily gave Alec almost broke his heart. It was almost looking at a grown up Harriet, no wonder James had some sort of connection with her. Lily nodded and slowly walked out of the kitchen.

Alec, and Martin sat down at the table while Lavender put the kettle on.

"So what brings you here Alec?" asked Martin.

"It was Robert Murdoch's trail today." He said. Lavender tensed up and held onto the kitchen counter. "He was found guilty." Lavender breathed out.

"Good." She said. "He was a monster. What was his punishment?"

"…Death." Said Alec. Lavender looked shocked at the word. She looked at Martin who had remained impartial. "I know muggles don't have corporal punishment as often, but death in our culture is only reserved for the worst criminals." Martin nodded.

"It still doesn't mean its right." Said Lavender.

"It's justice to other people." Said Alec. "I could sit here all night and debate this but it's out of my hands now." Lavender nodded.

"I just thought you'd like to know."

"I'm just glad Lily wasn't called to testify." said Lavender relived.

"So was I." said Alec. "But at least this way Lily's safer." Both nodded.

"So what happens now?" asked Lavender.

"Hopefully this is the end." Said Alec. "But, I would like to ask Lily some questions in connection with another ongoing investigation." Both Martin and Lavender looked at each other before looking back at Alec. Lavender looked unsure.

"Alec knows what he's doing." Said Martin.

"She's not in trouble." Said Alec. "I just need to talk to her, in private preferably." Martin nodded while Lavender looked unsure.

"I'll go speak to her in her bedroom." said Alec. He got up from the table.

"It's the last room on the right." said Lavender. Alec nodded and walked into the hallway and then into the living room. He smiled at its homely feel, everything looked lived in, well used. It was nothing like the house he grew up, well it was more of a mansion he grew up in, where his mother wouldn't let him anywhere near the living room. Alec saw various photos dotted around the room of Lily and her sister. He smiled more as he saw more photos of the children, this was the sort of home he always wanted to grow up in. He reached the landing and walked to the last door on the right where he could hear the sound of music coming through the door. He opened the door and walked in.

He was taken aback by the room at first. He wasn't sure why, but he always had Lily down as a real girly girl. He was surprised that her room was actually green. He looked at the bed and saw Lily lying down on it reading a book while listening to a record player that was on her side table.

"Hello Lily." he said as he walked in.

"Mr Potter." Lily said throwing the book to the side of her. "Am I in trouble?"

"No, no you're not." said Alec. "I just need to ask you something." he said sitting on the side of her bed.

"If you get uncomfortable and don't want to answer, just say ok." Lily nodded. "Ok, when Murdoch talked to you…did he ever mention someone called, he who must not be named?" Alec watched to see if she was hiding anything. Lily looked at him confused for a second.

"No, no he didn't." said Lily. "Should he of?" Alec shook his head. There was a long pause before Lily spoke again. "But, he did say something was coming." Alec's head twitched back towards her.

"Something was coming?" Lily nodded.

"He was talking about my parentage." Explained Lily, "Saying how I didn't deserve this power." Alec pulled out his notebook and started to write down.

"Go on."

"He said they would persecute me." said Lily. "I don't know who they are though?" Alec took a deep breath, they, who were they?

"Could be this he who must not be named." Said Alec, more to himself than anything. Could this all deal from a deal that went wrong? Maybe Murdoch knew who this man was, maybe this was his payback. Alec tapped his pen, his mind going a mile a minute as new theories flooded his brain. But one question stuck out in his mind.

"Why didn't he tell his counsel?"

"Who didn't tell their counsel?" Alec looked down at the interruption, Lily was looking at him curiously.

"No thank you. You've helped enough." Alec stood up. "Thank you Miss Evans. Hopefully our paths won't cross again." Lily smiled.

"It was nice to see you to." Said Lily waving. Alec smiled and swept out of the room. He was still making notes as he walked down the stairs till he arrived in the livening room.

"Thank you for your hospitality, but I have to get going." said Alec.

"Well, thanks for dropping by." Said Lavender, "And for keeping us updated."

"It's ok." Said Alec, "I have some leads on this new case, but sneaking back to work isn't going to be easy." He walked past the Lavender going back outside.

"Sneaking back to work?" Alec looked round at Lavender who had picked him up on his slip of the tongue. "Why do you need to sneak back to work?"

"Long story." Said Alec.

"But sneaking back into your…work? That sounds a bit ominous." Said Lavender.

"Yeah, well. Sometimes you don't get all the credit." Said Alec. He went to walk out of the door, but he then felt something tug on his arm. He looked back slightly over his shoulder and saw Lavenders hand on his upper arm.

"Why don't you talk about it?" she asked, Lavender looked back at the kitchen. "The kettles just boiled."

"It's best if I don't." said Alec.

"Why's that?" Alec turned round to tell her why, but when he did, he almost felt like he couldn't. Lavender smiled at him kindly, he was almost taken back at how much Lily looked like her mum, give or take hair and eye colour. But as he thought back to when he saw Lily and thought of Harriet as a teenager, Lavender looked like Harriet as an adult. Something that he's never see.

"Look Mrs Evans. Its best I don't, ok. Not that I don't appreciate the offer, but this is really a personal thing I have sort out myself."

"You shouldn't keep your anger festered up." Said Lavender.

"What makes you think I'm angry?" asked Alec.

"My husband can get angry to." Said Lavender, "He was very angry and bitter when I first met him. And he was very evasive as well, but after much hard graft and determination I got him to open up."

"With all due respect, I'm not your husband." Said Alec. "I just came round to inform you of Murdoch's fate and ask Lily a couple of questions." Lavender sighed. Almost knowing she'd been beat.

"Thank you for keeping us informed." Said Lavender. "I hope you have a nice evening."

"Thank you." said Alec. He turned on his heel, his long black coat billowing with him and he walked out of the hallway and into the summer night. Lavender smiled sadly. She felt sorry for him, he was almost to broken to try and put back together.

"You ok mum?" Lavender turned back to see Lily looking at her from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yes Sweetpea." She said, "I was just seeing Alec out."

"He seems a little stressed." Said Lily. "I thought they'd reward him."

"It doesn't look like they did." Said Lavender.

* * *

Azkaban. It is a small island in the North Sea that was acquired by the ministry in eighteen o one. The islands inhabitance was destroyed by a mass murder that was so powerful that he was encased in a prison of stone. As time went on more and more stones where added as more and more dangerous witches and wizards came to the light. Soon, the ministry moved all prisoners, high profile and small timers to a new maximum security prison called Azkaban, after the first prisoner.

It's guarded by the first special brand of Auror's called The Custodes, or Watchmen. Specially trained in close hand to hand combat and wand work, there tasked with keeping the prisoners under guard. In theory, there is not one part of Azkaban they do not know. No one can get in without detection, much like no one has ever escaped from Azkaban. But, everywhere is accessible if you know where to go.

Auror's have unlimited accesses to Azkaban, there wands though are checked in so they can use spells if necessary. Any unauthorised wand used under the charms of Azkaban is automatically triangulated and disabled. Any Auror who's suspended isn't allowed to go to Azkaban, but you'd be surprised at how fast news travels, and since with his wand had now been suspended, Alec had to find another way in.

Alec arrived just outside the gate, everywhere beyond was apparated protected. He had to get to solitary confinement, right at the heart of the prison. Alec jumped from the gates into the freezing water below, though the prison was covered in a dozen or so powerful shield charms, there was one point where they all intersected that created a gap that was big enough for someone to swim through. The gap was a replant of magic, it worked in the same way a magnet does when polarised. Not many people know about it, but Alec did.

Alec swam through the gap and rose up. Azkaban was a huge stone fortress. Its height was almost a hundred storey's high, a hundred storeys of pure stone with no brickwork, just one huge piece of solid stone. Azkaban was perpetually kept in the worst weather conditions possible to minimise the possibility of escape. As Alec rose out of the water to rain that was more like hail. It battered his skin along with driving wind which made it feel like a million tiny bullets where bruising his flesh. Alec swam to a small beach at the side of the prison and climbed out onto land. The waterproofing charm he had placed on himself earlier made sure that he was only wet from the rain. Alec walked onto the beach and looked up the huge wall.

The building had no perch's, so no one could climb down, but I also meant that no one could climb up. Alec was prepared though, he wiped the coat out of the way and pulled what looked like a gun from the back of his coat. It was thicker than an ordinary pistol, it had a small capsule at the end with a grappling hook. Alec pointed up towards the sky and it fired with a huge crack.

The hook flew over the top of the building, Alec waited a couple of seconds and then tugged on the rope. After a couple of tugs and deciding that it was taught, Alec placed his foot on the wall climbed up towards the top. The journey was made more difficult by the wind and driving wind that was swaying him on his accent.

After an hour of climbing, Alec got to the top of the stone structure. His long black coat billowed in the wind as he walked across the building. The next stage of the plan was getting access into the prison. No mean feat since the prison was almost a stone cube. Almost. Like most prisons, all inmates have to have one hour exercise, which means they need an exercise yard.

The exercise yard was on the ground floor, meaning the roof had one small gap which went straight from the roof to the ground floor. Alec looked down the gap and saw no one down there. I must have been a change over session, Alec was lucky. Pulled his old invisibility cloak from his belt, with James in America, he had no need for it. Alec pulled the cloak over himself and jumped down. Alec connected his sleeves to his coat and the air floated him up. He hovered for a moment and then swooped down. He skidded along the floor and gathered the cloak around him. The exercise yard was just a rectangle in the yard which the inmates where paraded around for an hour before being marched back into their cells. He looked over towards the single door and as if by magic it opened.

The prisoners were only fed twice a day and it showed as they were marched out. Alec recognised some of them as he captured them at the docks on London a few years ago. They looked pale, and skinny as their black and white robes were hanging loosely from them.

"Come on you scoundrels!" one of the jailers barked. "You only have half an hour!" they lined them up. Alec felt a twinge of guilt as he saw the gaunt and lifeless faces, art of him felt that they deserved it, the other part of him felt was this too much of a punishment. He was there when they freed the Jews from Auschwitz, it reminded him of those poor lifeless living corpses.

Alec moved over and slipped through the open door into the dark prison. The corridors were almost pitch black, with no windows and the constant weather charms. No direct sunlight would ever make it inside Azkaban's walls. The next obstacle where the security doors, when wands are checked in they can be used to unlock special high security doors that where made of junior dwarf star. Unauthorised wands again where picked up on and the whole prison went into lock down.

Alec only needed to wait five minutes before a Custode came down the hall. He placed his wand into a little slot, the door read the wand and opened. The guard went though and Alec followed, the Custode placed his wand back into his holster and continued to walk. Alec followed, the Custode stopped at one cell. Alec sneaked in and took his wand. He turned back on himself to get to maximum security. It was underneath the actual prison itself, some say it's easier to break into the vaults in Gringots than break out of here.

Alec negotiated his way through the dingy dungeon, passing cells with more living corpses, they looked so weak, just sitting on the floor of their cells, vacant expressions looking into the air.

Maximum security, a large square chamber in which all the worst criminals in the wizarding world where kept. Custodes patrolled each of the hallways every five minutes to makes sure no break out attempt was ever considered. The cells where very basic. A sold concrete bed with only a pillow, a toilet, a chair, and a table that were changed to dust if it was ever picked up in anger.

There was no way in or out. Almost. Because the prison was deep underground it needed a constant circulation of fresh air so anyone down there wouldn't suffocate. For that there where a network of airways that ran from each cell and hallway.

Alec looked at the door and walked to the side of it. He pulled out the Custodes wand and pointed it at a floor tile. The tile came loose and Alec pulled it up to reveal a sliver tube on the floor. Alec pointed the wand at the tube and it opened up, he crawled inside the tube and reapplied the tile. Alec crawled along the air tunnel, almost certain he was in maximum security now.

Alec continued to crawl through the air cooler, he was almost to Murdoch's cell. He crawled past a couple of criminals he had caught in the past when he heard talking. It was from a little further down the way. It was one he knew as well. The same whine and high pitch that always made him groan. Umbridge. He carefully moved till he came to Murdoch's cell. He wasn't surprised to see Umbridge in there, she was pacing his cell.

"Just tell me that Alec was in on your operation." She said. Her voice was sweet, bad had an underlying menace about it that would fool the uninitiated into trusting her. Something Alec never did.

"He never was." Said Murdoch. "Sorry to burst your bubble…love." Alec smiled to himself, he could picture Umbridge's smile disappearing with that feminist remark.

"He won't help you for covering for him." continued Umbridge. "He can't offer you anything, but we can."

"There's nothing to say." Said Murdoch. "You're wasting your time. Even if I did lie, I couldn't provide you proof."

"You're not playing the game Murdoch." Said Umbridge annoyed.

"Where done." Said Murdoch. "Don't let the door hit your oversized head on the way out." Her heeled shoes echoed along the floor as she opened the door and walked out. The chamber was then filled with the echo of the door closing.

The bright lights then dimmed, leaving the room in semi darkness. Alec shrugged the cloak off and carefully opened the hatch. He dropped to the floor silently, seemingly not arousing suspicion.

"I thought you'd turn up sooner or later." He said. Alec walked around to the seat that Umbridge was occupying seconds earlier and sat down.

"You worked for he who must not be names." Said Alec. "The Sons Of Salazar."

"Well done Sherlock."

"It was him you were doing the smuggling for." Said Alec. "The freights, that sort of stuff was never you M.O."

"A man has to do what he has to survive." Said Murdoch, "You know better than most that small groups like us don't survive very long without some sort of backer. But curiously…how did you find out."

"I have my ways." said Alec. "In return for favours, he would get you out of tight spots." Said Alec. Murdoch laughed, it was unnerving in the dark room as it magnified the sound.

"You know. This guy is really paranoid." Said Murdoch laughing, "He thinks everyone is on to him. MI6, the CIA, The Auror's. But in reality, you have no idea he exists." Murdoch continued to laugh

"That's why you were so hard to track down." Said Alec.

"I told you he was good." Said Murdoch still laughing.

"So am I." said Alec. "But why didn't you tell me from the start?"

"Because you like the hunt." Said Murdoch now calming down slightly. "Plus I wanted to know just how much you know about him, which I now know isn't a lot." Alec rolled his eyes. Was it really worth breaking in here just to hear all this?

"I haven't got long left, on this planet." He continued.

"Whose fault is that?" Murdoch raised an eyebrow.

"Just make sure this guy gets what's coming to him." said Murdoch. "He went back on a deal. Between men, that's personal."

"Why didn't you tell your counsel?" asked Alec, "They could have got you a deal."

"Like any judge in that court will buy that." Said Murdoch with a smirk. "No, they had the kiss pinned on me since the day you brought me in."

"I am going after this guy."

"Good."

"Not for you." said Alec.

"It would be on your own time." said Murdoch. "Suspended, for apparently being involved with me."

"I thought you'd be flattered." Said Alec, "Someone as good as me working for you."

"I'm more pissed off that they thought I needed your help." Said Murdoch, "I'm much better than you."

"Says the man in the cell I threw him in."

"No, says the man who has now had to break into the highest security prison in the world to see me." Retorted Murdoch. "I bet you thought you'd be a hero."

"I don't it for the acclaim." Said Alec.

"Yeah you do." Said Murdoch. "Otherwise, you'd be sitting about behind a desk. Admit it, you love the applause, I bet that press conference was your glorious moment."

"I was busy looking after my son."

"Ah yes…your son." Said Murdoch, "He's very strong for his age isn't he." Alec turned round.

"I know." He said, "He's been trained to be." Alec walked away towards the air vent.

"Goodbye." Alec turned round. "Old friend." Alec didn't say anything, he just turned back and jumped up into the air vent and placed the opening back on. Alec crawled back through the vent till he came to the opening he created earlier. Gently lifted the tile and peered around. Satisfied no one could see him Alec climbed out, repaired the tunnel and placed the tile back. Alec pulled the invisibility cloak and threw it over himself, he then moved back through the prison back to the security yard while the inmates where finishing their exercise.

Alec peered outside and then pulled out the grapple gun from underneath his coat.

* * *

"Come on or where going to be late." Said Katherine kissing Alec.

"We apparate." Said Alec. "We'll be fine."

"That's not the point." Said Katherine, "I'm just really excited."

"I just need to pop back to get something." said Alec. Katherine nodded and walked away to the cases while Alec walked to the library to get a book. He looked down at the door to see a thin stream of light coming from it. Katherine said she'd turned off all the lights in the house.

Alec pushed his coat back and handled his pistols with his hands, he carefully stepped back and then sprang forward and kicked the door down, he pulled the guns out and primed them. The door sprang forward and Alec looked around to only see a man with his back to him.

"But those ghastly things away little brother." He said wearily. The accent was upper class, he had jet black hair like Alec except his was brylcreamed back to no hair was out of line, it matched his suit that was grey with an umbrella leaning against his leg. "Still playing with toys I see." Alec shook his head.

"Tim?"

"Timothy." The man said closing the book he was reading. "It's the name our parents gave me, you could at least struggle to the end." Alec holstered his pistols.

"What are you doing here?" asked Alec. Timothy turned round, the motion was quick and precise, he looked a little like Alec, expect his face looked older and he had cold grey eyes that reminded Alec of his father. But this was Timothy Potter, Alec's brother.

"Not here to reprimand me are you?" Timothy narrowed his eyes.

"You just broke into the most secure prison in the country to talk to a prisoner on death row and you thought you get away with it?"

"Yes." said Alec walking round to a book shelf.

"You're not a rookie anymore Alec!" Timothy raising his voice.

"I know that to." Said Alec browsing the titles. "You don't scare me anymore Tim so why don't you scold me and go home."

"…Why don't I tell Katherine about it." said Timothy smoothly. "See what she makes of it." Alec stopped and looked down at the floor.

"Ah…there's a nerve."

"She can't know." Said Alec turning his head towards Timothy.

"Well why don't you then listen to your big brother then." Said Timothy. "And stop doing this."

"It was for a case." Said Alec.

"But, last time I checked, you had been suspended."

"I can work in my own time." Said Alec turning round, "Or do you forbid that to?"

"Oh no." said Tim with an all knowing smirk on his face. "I wouldn't want you to stop the things you love." Timothy picked up his brief case.

"But, if you do decide to break into Azkaban again, I will be back, family or not."

"The only family you cared about was mother." Said Alec, "Anyone else was more of an annoyance as I recall."

"Well she did tell me on her death bed to look out for you little brother." Said Timothy smoothly.

"I don't need looking after."

"Yet you can't break into a prison without me knowing." Said Timothy. "Which makes me wonder if that world greatest detective title is just a gimmick."

"Well I'm guessing being the British Government slash Ministry of magic makes you lose some sort of perspective."

"Please I only occupy a small position-"

"Or when you're not working for the Institute on a freelance basis." Said Alec, "Yeah, I know your dirty secrets to, brother." Tim smiled smugly.

"Oh yes, the worst kept I can imagine." He said.

"Well I must be going." Said Alec. "I would invite you to Hawaii with us, but at the same time you're already off the bandwagon so I'll hold of the invitation."

"Losing it, in fact." Corrected Tim. "I won't warn you again, little brother. Stay away from Azkaban, I will not cover for you again."

"Thanks Tim." Said Alec picking up a book. He walked round and patted him roughly on the shoulder. "And do lock up old chum." Alec walked out of the library leaving Tim in there. He walked up the stairs to the landing where Katherine was waiting for him.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

"As I'll ever be." Said Alec holding onto his case and then apparated away.

* * *

"I think it fits out quite nicely." Said Lavender, "Oh Lily you look beautiful." Lily smiled and turned in the mirror.

"It does look nice." Said Lavender, "I'd hate to say you were right but the purple does suit you."

"I told you it would." Said Lily as an afterthought.

"Now come on we have to get going." Said Lavender walking out of her room. "Petunia! Petunia, are you done yet!"

"I'm doing my make up!" she shouted back.

"You've been doing it for the last hour!"

"I want it to be perfect." Said Petunia, Lily rolled her eyes and walked down the stairs to the living room where her dad was fixing his tie.

"So what exactly is this thing where going to?" asked Lily.

"It's my company's 50th anniversary party." Said John, "And since I'm now some sort of head honcho I get to take you all with me." He looked over from the mirror at his youngest and paused for a moment.

"You look beautiful Lily." Said John taken aback.

"Dad."

"I just…" he shook his head, "I didn't realise just how much you've grown up."

"Do I look grown up?" asked Lily looking down at herself.

"Of course you do." Said John. "I sometimes forget I haven't seen you that much in the last year."

"She looks good in purple." Said Lavender coming down the stairs. "I thought she was mad saying she wanted to go with purple."

"Thanks mum." Said Lily pulling a face. "Or should I have gone with black so it matches the nunnery uniform." John stifled a laugh while Lavender narrowed her eyes at her daughter.

"Your studying in America now." Said Lavender, "On a scholarship, and I think you're a little young for a little black dress." Lily looked over at her Dad who just smiled.

"Somehow I don't think you'd survive in a nunnery." Said John.

"Petunia!" shouted Lavender, "Come on we have to go!"

There where footsteps as Petunia came down wearing a salmon pink dress similar to what Lily was wearing but with a few alterations.

"How do I look?" she asked.

"You look beautiful darling." Said John, "Now come on, my boss is expecting me to mingle." The family filed into the car and set off towards the country club hotel that it was being held at. A year ago Lily would off been scared stiff at the prospect of meeting new people, but now she felt more confident, she just had to get her backstory straight. The club was half an hour away and meant having to go into some of the windy country roads. Lily's elbow was resting on the window ledge of the car with her cheek resting on her hand.

She was watching the trees fly-by of the small wood they were driving through, it reminded her of the forest of Hogwarts, of course she was too scared to go all the way in, the furthest she had been in was with Potter.

…

Potter. They had that moment in the woods, when he was on top of her. Lily blushed at the order of words, yes he was on top of her but he was…shielding her. There was nothing there at all. Okay he was good looking she thought, but he was also an exceedingly arrogant, bullying, up his own arse toerag.

A toerag that her parents couldn't stop talking about. The way they spoke about what happened you would of thought that Lily was some helpless damsel in distress that needed saving, like some Disney princess. Why did none of them have red hair like her? It would make a good movie, maybe a mermaid, no, she was losing the topic. Her parents somehow forgot that Lily was one of the most powerful and cleverest witches in her year.

 _"In other news the Government has pledged an extra million pounds to the growing humanitarin crisis in Romania. The money has been safeguarded to help the victims of the tuberculosis outbreak._ "

"I want you girls to be on you best behaviour." Said Lavender turning the radio down, had they been talking? Lily snapped out of her dream land to concentrate on the conversation.

"So no snide remarks." Lavender said looking at Petunia, "And no smart arse remarks." She said looking over at Lily. "Were going to support your father and I won't have you two squabbling like toddlers."

"I'll be fine mum." Said Petunia in her sweetest voice, she then looked over at Lily. "I'm sure we'll all be fine so long as anyone won't do anything weird."

"Petunia." Said Lavender sharply. "Lily does not do weird things, understand."

"Oh, sorry, my mistake." Said Petunia looking out of her window, "It's just that we've just been so used to strange things not happening recently."

"Petunia!" said John sternly.

"And I haven't missed your horsey face." Retorted Lily.

"Lily!" said Lavender.

"Say that to my face!" said Petunia now getting angry.

"Hey Petunia, why the long face!?" said Lily loudly.

"Girls, stop it!" said John loudly. Both Lily and Petunia back down, they folded there arms and faced their respective windows.

"Look, we hardly get to do things as a family anymore since Lily gone to school. I will not have you two squabbling at the one function that we are going to this summer."

"Sorry Dad." Said Lily quietly.

"Sorry Dad."

"Now, you can hate each other as much as you like after where done here, but for the rest of the afternoon you're going to get on just fine. Understand?" There was only silence from the back of the car.

"I said, understand."

"Yes dad."

"Yes dad."

"That's better." Said John. He looked over at Lavender who shrugged. Not another word was said for the rest of the car journey, Lily was just watching the trees fly past her.

"DEER!" the car's brakes slammed throwing both Lily and Petunia forward. Lily recovered quickest and looked round her mum's seat to see what the commotion was about. In the middle of the road was a doe. Lily smiled as the delicate creature looked up at the car, its big eyes looking into the car. As quickly as it came the doe scarpered, it bounded away into the wood, Lily's eyes watching it as it went to a waiting stag.

"That was close." Said John starting the car and pulling away. Lily looked back through the back window at the doe and stag. The stag was licking the doe's fur, as if it was trying to comfort her.

"There bloody lethal those things." Said John, "There always running in front of cars." Lily smiled at the gesture as the two trotted off into the woods.

"I would have thought you'd get deer round your way Lily." Said Lavender, noticing her daughter's curiosity.

"We don't get ordinary animals in or forest." Said Lily, "We get things like centaurs and spiders." She sighed. "Though it would be nice to see deer in there as well."

Lily sat back down in her sear and she could see the club coming into view. It was an old building with very gothic architecture and painted a very brilliant white that sparkled in the blazing summer sun. The road soon curved to the front of the buildings drive way which was surrounded by primed bushes as well. At the front there was a sign for the club which was white with gold writing.

Cokeworth Country Club.

The grounds where in pristine condition as the car drove slowly. The trees where all cut to look identical which blended in with stone sculptures. The car then pulled up outside the grand drive which had a fountain in the middle.

"This is very fancy." Said Lavender as John stopped the car. "And the company actually hired this place out."

"For everyone." Said John. John drove round the side and parked up in a car park. Lily got out of the car and wondered if this was like the parties that Dorcas had told her about in the wizarding world.

John parked up and they all got out. They walked across the gravelled carpark with lots of perfectly cut bushed and flower beds. They reached the front of the house where a butler was waiting for them.

"Name?"

"John Evans and family."

"Of course Mister Willow is expecting you. He's waiting in the foyer." He showed them inside. A small old man was talking to very tall and attractive woman in a dress with a plunging neck line.

"John it's so nice to see you again." Lily watched curiously as her dad hugged the small man who looked very pleased to see him. "London hasn't been the same since you left, how long has it been?"

"Nearly fifteen years." Said John, "It seems a lot longer though."

"And Lavender, oh, you look like you haven't aged a day." He said now hugging her mother. "I hope you've been looking after my number two."

"I have Jasper." Said Lavender, "It's the least I could do after you gave him his job."

"He earned it." Said Mr Willow. "And from what I've seen it's been a good investment." He looked over at Lily and Petunia.

"And these must be the famous Evans girls." He said coming over. "You two obviously got the good of the gene pool."

"Jasper, this is Petunia." Said Lavender, "I was pregnant with her when we moved up here."

"I do remember." Said Jasper, "You're a very pretty young woman."

"Thank you." Said Petunia flashing what Lily would consider a fake smile. Mr Willow's attention turned to Lily.

"And this is Lily." Said Lavender, "She was born up here." Mr Willow's face lit up.

"This must be the child prodigy." He said, "John said his little girl was going to a fancy school in America."

"I wouldn't say it was that fancy." Said Lily shaking his hand, trying to avoid Petunia's glare.

"A school were you are handpicked because of your intelligence, I say it must be very fancy indeed, I tried to give your dad a raise to pay for it."

"Lily's on a scholarship Jasper." Lavender explained.

"As John reminded me as well. Well then, I shall be watching you closely Miss Evans, I'll be certainly expecting great things from you."

"No pressure then." Said Lily weakly.

"None at all." Said Mr Willow. "Now if you excuse me I have to say hello to some more people."

"He's your boss?" asked Lily.

"That he is." Said John, "I owe that man a lot. If he didn't give me this job I wouldn't have all this."

"Did you have to work hard for it?" asked Lily. John smiled wryly.

"Very." He said.

"Was it worth it?" asked Lily.

"…Definitely." Said John hugging Lily and kissing her forehead.

The party seemed to be going on forever in Lily's mind. She hardly knew anyone and the only person she did know, Petunia, was talking with a couple of her friends that where there. She wasn't too disappointed about that, being with Petunia probably would have made her do something she shouldn't. Like hex her false face off.

So, she had just spent the evening lamely tagging along with either her mum or dad. But, now Lily had lost sight of them so she was standing by the wall thinking about Hogwarts, and that in just a few short weeks she'd be back out there.

"Well, well." Lily bit her lip in frustration and closed her eyes. Not now, she thought, I've been doing so well. Petunia stood next to her, smiling smugly at her. "You've managed to hold out for the entire day without doing something weird."

"Leave me alone Petunia." Said Lily.

"I'm just congratulating my little sister in controlling her 'little problem.'

"It's not a problem." Said Lily.

"Maybe not to you." Said Petunia. "But, once again, well done on not doing anything weird." The lights above them flickered as Lily tried to control her rage.

"Welcome to fiftieth anniversary dinner of Willow motors, I'm CEO of the company, Jasper Willow."

Lily joined in with the applause as did Petunia. She's just trying to wind you up, Lily told herself. Don't listen to her, just control it.

"This year has been a fantastic year."

"I'll say." Muttered Petunia under her breath. The lights flickered again. Lily was sure her mum and dad where looking at her. She closed her eyes and tried to block whatever Petunia was saying to her.

"Our profits are up by nearly a third, with no new anomalies."

"We certainly hope not."

The lights flickered so violently it stopped the speech and caused several people to look up at the lighting.

"Stop it Petunia!" Said Lily.

"I'm not doing anything." Said Petunia in a sickingly sweet voice.

"You're goading me!" Hissed Lily.

"I thought that school of yours taught you how to control your freakish ways." Said Petunia. The lights flickered more violently.

"I'm, not, a, freak!" said Lily calmly.

"Well, as I was saying. Our new model, the Nimbuloied has made large waves in the automotive world for its modern good looks and intricate design."

"Well, looks like mum and dad were wrong." Lily didn't answer. "They thought you wouldn't do anything strange at all."

"Shut up!"

"Looks like you can't handle being in normal society." She continued.

"Stop it Petunia!"

"I wonder if you really should have been allowed home at all."

"Stop it!"

"Because you're clearly not normal."

The light bulbs above them smashed into little pieces, the room was then filled with screaming and shouting as the room was plunged into near darkness.

"Well, well done freak!" said Petunia.

"I'M, NOT, A, FREAK!" just as Lily finished the big cake in the middle of the room exploded over the guests standing near it. Lily stopped heaving and looked around the room. Thankfully no one knew it was her that had done it, but she could see her mum and dad looking at her. The look on her mother's face said it all. She looked disappointed in her.

Lily made her way through the crowd till she found a door, she didn't care where it led, she only cared that it led away from here. She opened it to find herself outside on a patio that overlooked the golf course. The sun was setting and bathed the patio in orange light that was welcoming on her pale skin. Lily walked past the rows of furniture till she got to the balcony. She closed her eyes and smiled, things where so much more peaceful when she was by herself.

A strange thought then ran through her head. She opened her eyes and looked at the woods before her and remembered she saw a familiar sight at school. But that wasn't the thought, if she was honest she had thought about it often, but now after causing a scene it was at the forefront of her mind.

"I wonder what Potter's doing right now?"

* * *

 **Find Out Next Time.**


	6. Chapter 6

The waves crashed back into the ocean. The salt water betraying nothing from above, or from the deep. Underneath the waves lay James. The waved above him swirling while below him was a huge black abyss. He looked he was sleeping, his black hair swaying gently with the currents under the water.

"James, come see!"

That voice.

"Come on James!"

James could see his old home, the mansion, the spalling grounds along and brilliant sunshine all around him while chasing someone. He wasn't really trying. Toying with the prey, thinking it could get away before striking.

James cornered her. Her dress fluttered in the wind along with her black hair. She giggled and turned round.

"Come on James, wake up!"

James opened his eyes and could see fish above him, their silhouettes stark against the sun shining down onto the water that was now calmer above him. James shook his head and swam up, the fish now darting away from him.

His head slowly bobbed out of the water. He looked across to the shore line and then saw it erupt into cheers and applause on the packed beach. James smirked to himself and began to swim back to the shore.

 **The Marauders Proudly Present James Potter in: The Marauders: Year Two**

 **Chapter Six**

 **What is James Potter Doing Right Now?**

 **Written By Chambers10**

When he felt sand beneath his feet he placed them down and walked onto the shore where the crowd greeted him.

"Drop something?" He looked up at Leanne, she was leaning on a surfboard in her bikini. James looked down at his leg and saw the snapped strap from his surfboard.

"Yeah." He said gratefully walking towards it. "How did I do?" Leanne smirked.

"You'll see." She pointed over to the scoreboard where a man was wiping down a score board with his name on. He then got out his pen and wrote down a new score.

"After that incredible final round performance, James Potter has now taken the lead with an amazing 2841 points!" the crowd cheered again while James ran a hand through his wet hair. "Which means, that our new under fourteens champion is…JAMES POTTER!"

James yelled in excitement and punched the air! He looked round and saw Sirius come towards him and give him a hug while patting him on the back.

"Brilliant run mate." He said laughing. "That Devon kid is fucking fuming." He pointed over to blonde boy who looked livid at James. He turned to a girl who smiled uneasily at him and then stormed away.

James grinned and turned to Leanne who smiled at him and pulled him in for a kiss that had the whole crowd wolf whistling cheering.

"Come on Mr Potter, come up and collect your prize!"

"Looks like he's already got one mate!" The crowd laughed as James disembraced Leanne and jogged over to the main stage where the announcer was clapping his hands. He ruffled his hair again and walked up to the stage where the announcer along with ten or so bikini clad girls that left little to the imagination where clapping. James held his hand up to acknowledge the crowd as he walked over and got a firm hand shake from the organiser and received a small gold trophy.

"I'm pleased to announce that our winner for the surfing completion under fourteen division is JAMES POTTER!" He smiled triumphantly and thrust it up into the air.

* * *

 _Out here in the fields, I work for my meals._

 _I but my back into my living._

 _I don't need to fight._

 _To prove, I'm right,_

 _I don't need, to be forgiven_.

James liked this song, it was the first time he had heard it before but he decided there and then that he liked it. He was now sitting round a campfire on the same beach with his trophy next to him. He wasn't listening to the conversation really, he was too busy listening to the music.

He never really had been one for music, but this track he liked, it was upbeat and had a good tempo to it that was relaxing to him. Leanne was sitting next to him, being the life and soul of the conversation.

" _That was the who with Baba O'Riely, one of our favourite songs out there at the moment. Next up is one from Surfs Up by the beach boys, keep yourself tuned in for that._ "

No thanks, thought James. He turned his head to what everyone was talking about.

"Is that what you do all the time?" asked James.

"These are some of my oldest friends." Said Leanne. "When I was finding out about my powers. They helped me."

"You were lucky." Said James thinking about Lily Evans, and about how she was bullied for it. What she doing right now he wondered.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah." He got to his feet. He needed to get Evans out of his head. "I'm going for a walk."

"I'll come with you." said Leanne getting up and threading her arm through James's. She glared over at the boy who made the remark and walked away with James.

"Sorry about him." said Leanne as they walked away from the crowd. "He can be a bit of a dick."

"You're telling me." Said James placing his hands in his pockets.

"Somethings bothering you."

"Nothings bothering me." Said James.

"Bull James and you know it." said Leanne swaying into him. James stopped and looked out on the sea.

"Is it because of what he said about your dad?" James didn't say anything at first. Leanne looked down at her feet.

"James, don't be a stranger to me." Said Leanne. "We've been friends for a long time."

"Ok

"You enjoyed it then?" James nodded and looked out across the now setting sun. Leanne who was now wearing his hoody was holding his hand swaying gently as they walked across the beach.

"I did." Said James. "I bet you never thought I'd actually win it." Leanne laughed and walked closer to him.

"I had every faith." She said leaning into him. "You are good at your sports."

"I thought you being a beach babe you'd be good at surfing." Said James.

"I'm a sun worshiper." Said Leanne smiling. "I let the boys handle that."

"I bet you do." Said James.

"Come on, let's go home." Said Leanne leading him down the beach. The chatted aimlessly till they got to a large house that backed onto the beach. They walked through a kissing gate into a large garden area that was more like a tropical paradise, with lots of palm trees and thriving plant life.

They walked across an immaculately cut lawn that was lit up with small outdoor lights. The house itself was lit up with more lights. Leanne walked across a patio and went to two large French doors.

"Looks like dad has company." Said Leanne. "So we need to be quiet." She opened the door quietly and led James inside. They went into the main drawing room, it was white like the exterior with lots of plants on side tables and a big dining table in the middle of the room as soon as James closed the door two more opened on the other side of the room.

"Where the hell have you two been?" Leanne's dad walked out through the double doors. He was a tall man wearing a tailored silk shirt and dark trousers with heeled shoes that echoed on the floor as he strode forward. He had dark hair that came over in a quiff and a scar down the right of his face from his eyebrow to his mouth.

"You were meant to be back before dark!"

"I know dad." said Leanne rolling her eyes.

"So why are you two coming back now?"

"Sorry dad, we got a little…side tracked." Said Leanne.

"What do you mean by-"

"Not like that." Leanne said quickly.

"Good." He said looking over at James who ruffed his hair.

"Sorry, we should have come back sooner…" he said sheepishly.

"Yeah, you should, I'm going back in there." He said pointing to the doors. "I don't want to hear a peep from you, understand?" James nodded.

"Urgh, yes dad." said Leanne rolling her eyes. "Come on James." She led James out of the room into a grand hallway and up to big sweeping staircase. She led him up and then down a hallway to the back of the room.

"Who are those guys your dad was talking to?" asked James.

"Just his friends." Said Leanne untroubled. "They come over every couple of weeks for a meeting or something."

"About what?"

"I don't know." Said Leanne as they reached the doors to her room. "I've never asked." She pushed the doors open into her room.

The room was very spacious with a balcony on the far side of the room. On the right was a large bed, on the left was a large wardrobe but at the back was a balcony. The walls were littered with posters of various muggle and magical bands and singers, but most of the were of planets and constellations.

"How could you not ask?" asked James.

"I'm sorry, but not all of us have a hankering for adventure." Said Leanne. "I tried to break in once but he was really mad at me when I did." She was took a bobby pin out of her hair and placed them next to a photo of her and her mother on her bed side table.

"Why do you think that?"

"It's his club." said Leanne. "He needs hobbies, you know, ever since mom passed away." James nodded. He looked around the room and his eyes rested on the poster on the planets.

"Still into the astronomy thing." Said James.

"Astronomy is a beautiful James." Said Leanne. "It's the most interesting thing in the world." She walked toward her balcony door.

"But you live in a world with Magic." Said James. "Surely that's interesting?"

"But everything in the magical world has been discovered." Said Leanne throwing her doors open into the night. "There's nothing left to explore, but out there."

She pointed out at the sky

"But there's so much out there." Said Leanne, she walked to the balcony and leaned on the pane, looking up at the night sky. Her blue eyes scanning the sky above her. "I'm a point in time where I can't discover the world, and I can't explore the stars." She sighed and slumped on the balcony.

"My mom would bring me out here and point out all the stars and constellations to me." She said sadly. "And show me all the planets we could see with my telescope." She looked over at her telescope.

"They always seemed so big and perfect to me. Although now I know she used to use a light clearing charm to make it all seem brighter." She laughed slightly and shook her head.

"Did you and your mum do it a lot then?" asked James. Leanne chuckled and looked back at James.

"Every night." She said. "We would sit at the telescope and look up at the stars."

"Which one was your favourite?"

"I love looking at Aquarius." Said Leanne with a small smile. "The water giver, the giver of life." She turned back to James.

"Shame you were born on the cusp." She said.

"But, every time I look at the stars and the planets, I think of her." James walked up to her and placed his arm around her.

"When she first died I used to point my telescope up to the sky and try and find heaven so I could see her. But… of course it wasn't real."

"It's not stupid to try and look for them." said James.

"I know." Said Leanne she played with her fingers and looked up. "I just wonder how she thinks I'm doing."

"I'm sure she's proud of you." said James.

"I try to." Said Leanne, she then smiled. "Come on, I know something to lift the gloom."

"Who says there was gloom?" asked James as she lead him back inside.

* * *

James liked nice views, they really made you think, and it gives you perspective. So when he was leaning on a low wall looking at Leanne window shopping he wasn't looking at the dress she was looking at, more so the fact her bum did look very nice in the dress she was already wearing.

Why had he never noticed that before? It actually looked quite nice, he didn't know why it did but it just looked…nice. Like it was begging to be touched.

"Are you even listening to me?" Leanne turned round.

"Uhm…"

"That's a no." she said turning back.

"Ah come on Lee, this is boring." Said James looking round. "You live in L.A, surely there's some sort of wizarding community out here." Leanne pulled a face.

"There is…" she said slowly.

"So…what's the matter?" asked James.

"There's this group out here. The MfW, have you heard of it?"

"No, what is it?"

"They're called Magic for Wizards. It's a group that wants to keep magic for purebloods only." She said. "They don't like muggleborn and half-breeds coming into their world."

"And you're afraid of going there."

"My dad's a muggle." Said Leanne. "They don't take kindly to that."

"And you let that stop you?"

"They have a reputation of being extreme in their displeasure." Said Leanne. "Even The Institute has trouble tracking them."

"And they control all the magical trade out here." Said James. Leanne nodded.

"Ok, let's go?" he said clapping his hands together. Leanne looked at him like he was mad.

"Why?"

"Leanne, I'm sick of going round bloody boutiques and muggle shops now, it was fun for the first week but I want to do something different."

"Like walking head first into a place where as the son of an Auror they might give you a beating."

"I doubt it'll come to that." Said James.

"You say that, but your dad is known across the pond." Said Leanne. "A lot of guys would love to grease an Auror."

"I survived Murdoch, I think that I can handle this." Said James. Leanne sighed.

"Can't I talk you out of this?"

"No." said James stretching his arms out while walking away. "I said I was coming out here to take in the culture."

"You might regret it."

"No, all we need." James stopped outside a boutique that showed off a cloak with a hood. "Is a disguise."

* * *

 **California Desert:**

"I can't believe I let you talk me into doing this." Said Leanne as the hiked up the mountain. James was already ahead of her, scaling the rocks with apparent ease, leaving her behind.

"Trust me, when you see it. You'll love it." said James. "Besides, you didn't exactly dress for the part. Leanne looked down at her vest and shorts with walking boots and then up at James appalled.

"Scaling a mountain at five in the morning, is not my definition of a good time." Her foot slipped but James caught her hand and pulled her up, his hand resting on her waist.

"Thanks." She mumbled. James flashed her a smile and moved to the rock face and started to climb up

"What even goes on up here?"

"My dad took my here when I was seven." Said James. "I was like you now, why should I come up here?" James then disappeared over the edge. "But when I saw this, it was so worth it."

"Do I want to know now?" asked Leanne as she started to climb to.

"Yeah, you do." Said James. Leanne pulled herself over the top and saw James at the edge of a cliff looking down on something. Leanne brushed herself down and walked to the edge with James. She looked over.

Down the side of the mountain was a huge plain.

"Is that?"

"The San Andreas Fault." Said James excitedly.

"You brought me up here to show me this?" said Leanne. "I've seen this a dozen times."

"Ah, but have you seen this." James unclipped some binoculars from his belt and gave them to Leanne.

"Down there." Leanne looked through the binoculars, and she saw what looked like a carnival going on.

It looked like and old style market but she could also see lots of people flying around on brooms.

Leanne looked pulled the binoculars away and down at the fault and then back again.

"Is there a party going on down there?" asked Leanne.

"Sort of." Said James looking down the binoculars. "You can only see it through these until we go down there."

"What is that?" asked Leanne.

"That is Formula One broom racing." Said James with smile. "The San Andreas Grand Prix."

"How do we get down there?" asked Leanne.

"We jump." Said James clipping the binoculars back on. Leanne nodded, but then did a double take.

"Jump?"

"Try and land on your back." James walked to the edge of the cliff and turned to her. He smiled and fell back over the cliff.

"JAMES!" Leanne raced to the edge and looked over the side but couldn't see him.

"James! James where are you!?" she shouted.

"Just jump, trust me." Leanne looked around.

"If this is some sort of trick."

"It's not. Trust me." Leanne walked to the edge of the cliff and breathed deeply.

"Just fall back." Leanne closed her eyes tightly and fell. It almost happened in slow motion. She fell through the air and then seemed to hit something soft. Definitely not the jaggered rocks. She opened her eyes and saw the cliff above her.

Leanne quickly scrambled to her feet and looked down. She was on a sheet of magical putty. She looked over at James who was smirking.

"You planned this." She said accusingly.

"No." said James. Leanne raised an eyebrow.

"Well maybe." Said James. "I have something I wanted to do today."

"To watch this Grand Prix?" asked Leanne as James helped off the putty. She looked to her right and saw the carnival atmosphere. Lots of stalls selling alcohol and food with lots of wizards, witches and magical creatures walking around, laughing, joking and drinking with loud music coming from somewhere.

"I can't believe where doing this." Said Leanne adjusting the hood on her cloak. "This is risking my life."

"Stop being so melodramatic." Said James. He swung his cloak over shoulders, tied it up and pulled the hood over.

They walked over to the entrance of the carnival, it was guarded by a large black wizard who stood up from a rickety stool. He flexed his muscles and stood by the barrier.

"Who are you?" he had an African accent.

"I'm a wizard who's come to do some shopping." Said James. "And watch the Grand Prix."

"This is private." The wizard said shortly. "How do we know you're not one of those unworthies?"

"I'm part of one the most influential families in America." Said James.

"Really." he said with a booming laugh. He bent down and got down to the hood. "And who might you be?"

"I'm the son of Fleamount Potter." Said James.

"He has no son!" he spat.

"Like he would want the world to know that, he owns a Multi Galleon business, an illegitimate child in the lime light would ruin him, no?"

"Who's your mother?"

"One of his secretaries I presume." Said James. The man pulled James's hood down and stepped back to inspect him. He looked him up and down and then at his hair.

"You'd a thought with being a hair mogul his son would have better controlled hair." He said ruffling it.

"Tester." Said James. "My hair's immune to it now." The wizard laughed.

"Ok, ok." He said turning round and opening the door. "Although keep your hood up, you look a lot like that Auror brat."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Said James pulling it up. He stepped aside from the barrier which James and Leanne walked through. It was mostly a dingy market with stalls set up with wood and cloth, like market place in Marrakesh that James visited once.

It was incredibly loud, as brooms where whistling over head towards the Fault line.

There were lots of people walking around, like them in hoods but they were in traditional wizarding wear, engaging in conversation and animated discussion.

"Wait, your related to Fleamount Potter." Said Leanne. "I didn't know that?"

"We call him uncle Archie." Said James. "He likes to distance himself from the family name. Or, my dad distances him."

"Why?"

"After he sold the business he became an alcoholic." Said James. "Well that's what my dad tells me anyway. The illegitimate love child thing works most of the time. He's never pulled me up on it."

"How the hell did you come up with that?" asked Leanne.

"It's an excuse I've used before." Said James.

"What for?"

"You wouldn't want to know." Said James. "I'm more insulted that it's worked."

"Ok, now where here, what do want?" James looked over and saw a man selling burner wands, perfect, he could do with one of those. James walked over to the stall.

"Thank you." The man who was selling them, a small fat bald man turned to James.

"Hello young man." His voice was deep and croaky, damaged from years of smoking, James could tell because he reeked of it.

"What can I get for you?"

"I'd like one of those wands." Said James. "What sort do you do?" The man smiled which revealed his yellow teeth.

"We have wands that range to all sorts of spell ranges." He said. "Some have five spells, ten fifteen, but these beauts." He showed James to some black wands.

"The latest in wand technology." He said. "Twenty spells, completely untraceable, perfect for a youngster like to impress your little girlfriend." He said pointing at Leanne who was looking at a cloak.

"I don't need cheap parlour tricks." Said James.

"Ah, she's a purey." He said. "Maybe you should be thinking about a romantic night out."

"She's not the type." Said James. "How much for it?"

"A hundred and fifty galleons." He said.

"That seems a bit steep." Said James putting the wand down and placing his hands in his pockets.

"It's the latest." He said. "You don't know who much trouble it takes to make these and ship them here."

"I guess it used to be easier when Robert Murdoch pulling the strings." Said James.

"Damn straight." He said. "He should have killed the Potter boy. He could have moved some more stuff then."

"Yeah, well, I hear those bastards are tough." Said James. "I think I'll pass on the wand, I can't afford that." James dropped a smoke ball onto the floor and then kicked it across the floor.

"Shame."

"Yeah, isn't it?"

POOFFF.

A smoke bomb went off the other side of the stall. The man instantly left James to check the commotion. James smirked and picked up the wand and placed it his pocket. He then went over to Leanne.

"See anything you like?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"I'm just trying to keep a low profile." Said Leanne she nodded her head over to a group of hooded individuals who was in a circle discussing something.

"That's the MfW." Leanne whispered. "If they saw me here right now they would hung draw and quarter me."

"You're being over dramatic again." said James.

"That doorman may have been a few bats short of a belfry but they aren't." Leanne said quickly. "They're known to kill Mudbloods and half breeds."

"Don't say that word." Said James.

"What, they are." Said Leanne. James shook his head. James then looked over towards the fault line.

"What are we doing here?" asked Leanne.

"I'm going to do something really cool." Said James, he started to make his way through the crowd. Leanne followed.

"What, exactly?"

" _Last call for all junior participants in the Grand Prix to come forward! Last call, thank you!_ " Leanne looked at James, furious.

"Tell me you are not!"

"Yep."

"What!"

"I entered." Said James.

"Your dad said for you to keep a low profile while you were here!" Leanne said.

"This is a low profile." Said James.

"James, this is one of the biggest sporting events in Wizarding America." Said Leanne. "Do you really think that you'll be able to keep a low profile here of all places."

"It's just a little fun." Said James. "Like that surfing competition."

"That was muggle, no one knew you there apart from me. This is different. People are going to know you here!"

"It's not that bad." Said James as they reached a desk with had a banner floating above him that read applications.

"James!"

"Hi, I'm down for the junior race. The names Potter, James Potter." The attendant looked down the list.

"James Potter…ah, there we are." He looked up at James. "You must be Alec's kid." He said.

"That I am." Said James smiling.

"Your dad was a natural on a broom." He said. "Shame he quit to become an Auror. Let's see if his genes have been passed on.

"One way to find out."

"Tent's just down the hall, your broom is already waiting for you."

"Thanks." He turned to Leanne. "I'll see you after the race."

"No, James, stop! Come back here!" She went to try and pull him back. "How the hell did you get your broom here?"

"Sorry miss. No groupies allowed." A security guard said as James disappeared down the tunnel.

"I am not a groupie!" she yelled. "Do you know who that is! That's James Potter, I have to keep him safe." The guard shook his head at her.

"Miss, why don't you go a sit in the stand and wait for the race to start." He said. "If he's entered this race, I'm sure he can handle himself.

"But you don't understand!"

"Miss, please leave willingly or I will force you to!" He said. Leanne saw no use in arguing and went away in a huff.

" _Did I just hear what I thought I heard?"_

"Yes my lord." The security guard said.

" _James Potter…Hmmmm."_

"What do you wish for us to do?"

" _I want to see what he can do on a broom."_

"Of course my lord."

" _Let's see what he can do after Murdoch."_

* * *

"Here we are, an Ortego Thunderbolt." The man behind a booth handed James his broom along with his racing gear. James thanked the man and continued to walk down the tunnel to a dressing room where a lot of teenagers like himself where already changed and chatting amongst themselves.

They stayed quiet while James walked in. James turned his back on them and began to change into his racing gear.

A high density armour that could withstand any G-Force thrown at him through the bends and made up of individual plates for flexibility. James zipped up the suit from the behind and got out his helmet. It was black, the same as his suit. But it was one he had, had since he was small, it had on the side.

 _ **James 'The Bolt' Potter**_

Either side of it was a small Lightning Bolt. James smiled and placed it down on the bench while he fixed his pedals to his broom.

"Your new." James turned. One of the other boys had got up and was walking towards him.

"Your powers of observation do you justice." Said James.

"And a brit to."

"You could be a detective with your skills." Said James turning back to his pedals.

"I don't like you."

"Not many people do." Said James untroubled. "I don't lose sleep over it."

"You're gonna get beat." He said. "We don't take too kindly to strangers." The other boys got up. They were older than him, about fourteen fifteen. "Where I tight knit group."

"My dad did always say Americans where far too close for their own good." Said James standing up. They were trying to force him into a corner. "Is this the part where you try to beat me to a pulp?"

"Actually, just break your ribs so you can't handle the bends." He said. James laughed.

"Guys…that's not going to work." Said James shaking his head.

"Yeah, why not?"

"Well…"

"Race starts in five minutes guys. Get ready." The other boys looked down at James and then went back to their own brooms.

James smirked this just might be funner than he thought. He picked up his broom and helmet and placed it on his head.

"See you guys out there." James saluted and walked down the corridor to the race track. He could feel the crowd above him as he walked out.

There was no circuit to speak off. It was a platform under The San Andreas fault with magma spitting on the track. The viewing stand was carved into the jaggered rocks and was full to the rafters. James couldn't see Leanne, but he was sure that she was scowling at him as he walked out.

James walked to the start line where he was stopped by the marshal.

"Name."

"James Potter."

"Second from the end." He said waving up the other boys who had followed James out of the changing room.

James pulled his visor down and rotated his shoulders and got onto his broom, putting his feet carefully on the pedals and jumping up so he was hovering.

"Ladies and Gentlemen." A booming voice rung around the track. "The junior Grand Prix is about the begin." James hovered out over the magma and got in his lane. "This track utilises all the fiery components of this hostile environment, dodging boiling hot magma, jaggered rocks and ferocious G-bends." The crowd roared as the rest of the group lined up.

"On your marks." James breathed out and slowed his breathing…

"Get set!" James looked ahead at the early morning sky above him. Cloudless, blue, bright. James's eyes then set out on the track in front of him.

"GO!"

James shot of like a bullet. The stands were in a unanimous state of shock before roaring their approval.

" _And there off! New racer and son of former broom racer Alec Potter had taken a surprise lead early on!"_

James was just looking straight ahead, and not daring to look below him.

It was staple of this particular Grand Prix, the magma below them across the entire course, right under an active fault line in the tectonic plates where an earthquake could happen at any moment. James loved watching it when he was younger, but now he was old enough and out here without his parents he decided to apply, thankfully, someone recognised his name and decided it would be really good to see Alec Potter's son race.

James went to go into the first bend, his dad had always taught him to breath in and hold it when going into one. It kept all the major organs in place. James turned in and came out cleanly.

" _A great turn by James Potter who still has the lead going out the first bend! Followed swiftly by George McCormick!"_ The crowd cheered, but the sound only a slight muffle in James's ear as he sped into a hairpin with went into a dark cave which was then lit up by more magma which was spitting up.

James had to swerve to avoid some spitting magma and spotted the white light which signified the exit. He sped forward into the light and came out the other side to thunderous applause and cheering.

" _And James Potter is still in the lead after navigating the fire cave perfectly! But can he go across the tectonic plate!"_ The crowd went into a synchronised Ohhhhhhhh!

James had to dip fast into a circular hole that closed up the further it went. James had to be as stream lined as possible to fit through the end into another cave with molten Magma but with two huge pieces of rock crashing into each other, making small molten pieces fly off and hit James's suit.

James sped along to another cave and through the narrow tunnel and had to make a sharp reflex bend and then a near vertical drop down another canyon of jaggered rocks. He then did a spiral and then sped off, causing a sonic boom.

" _An incredible burst of speed there by James Potter on his Ortego Thunderbolt, breaking the sound barrier!"_ The crowd cheered as James had to make a sharp vertical shot up wards and then an upward vertical turn back into the fault.

James then sped along the fault line and back over the start line.

James loved this life.

* * *

Leanne was slumped on her hand watching James wiz by on his broom in his stupid race. She should of seen this coming, a seemingly romantic hike up a mountain was never his style, why would he start now?

Everyone stood up as they raced past again and cheered when they saw James in the lead. Maybe she had been wrong, maybe no one would try and whack him while he was here. But if something did happen to him then it was on her, and she couldn't do a lot to save him. She looked up at the lap counter.

17/24

Not too much longer she thought. She looked to her left in preparation to see James.

" _And Timminson overtakes Hammill into third and a podium finish. But can anybody catch James Potter? He's flying like a man possessed!"_

James came hurtling down the track and across the line.

18/24

"He's a good flyer, isn't he?" Leanne turned to a man who was sitting next her. "I remember watching his Dad fly, he was fantastic to."

"I'm sorry do we-"

"The names Riddle." He said extending his hand. He was wearing his arm. He had gelled back black hair and wore dark glasses with a blue shirt and chinos.

"Riddle? That's a funny name. I'm Leanne Rambona."

"Pleased to meet you." he said.

"And yeah, James is an excellent flyer." Said Leanne. "Always has been since I've known him.

"How long is that?"

"About seven years." Said Leanne. "Why are you so interested in him, are you a scout?"

"You could say that…" he mused as James thundered across the line.

"If you are then you should know that he is a huge show off." Said Leanne.

"Like his old man then." Riddle said he then looked over. "I'm sorry Miss Rambona but I'm going to have to leave you." He stood up. "A pleasure." He then walked away.

Leanne slumped back at looked over at the man sitting next to her. He was wearing a black hood, an MfW hood. Leanne looked around and couldn't see anyone else like that. Maybe she was just being paranoid.

" _And James Potter stills leads with only a few more laps to go!"_

Leanne watched curiously as she saw him write down James's name. Leanne looked at him again. There was something off about him, she could sense it, as James called it a sixth sense for trouble.

"Why are you writing down James's name?" she asked.

"The hooded man looked back at her slowly with steely eyes."

"Nothing that concerns, you." he said in a dark and somehow scary voice.

"No, show me." Said Leanne reaching over. The man though stopped her and pinned her back in her chair, she felt a wand jab in her side.

"Stupify!" he hissed. Leanne felt a stabbing pain in her side. She slumped in her chair, passed out from the pain. The hooded man grunted and got up from his seat and made his way down to the front.

"Hey mate, no pus-Whoa!" He smacked the popcorn out of somebodies hand.

"What the hell!" Another guy went to stop him and was pushed back down the seats. He got to the front row.

He got onto the railings, looking down on the magma that was bubbling away beneath him.

"Step back off the railings and place your hand behind your head!" The Enforcers had arrived and where pointing there wands at him.

"Step back off the railing and place your hands behind your head!" he still did nothing. His head looking down the track, waiting for them to come past.

"Last warning!" The enforcer shouted. "Step off the railings and place you hand behind your-!" as he finished James started to hurtle down the straight. The hooded man's eyes were fixated on James as he came down. He threw himself forward and black smoke formed around him.

He hit James on his broom and sent him flying through the air, over the jaggered rocks and smashed onto the dessert on the other side of the fault.

* * *

He was flying well, he was going down the straight and then he felt what he could only assume was a freight train hit him and sent him flying over the other edge of the fault, falling onto the hard ground.

Thankfully his armour and helmet absorbed most of the impact but all his body still ached. He got to his feet and shook his head. He fiddled with the strap of his helmet and threw it to the floor before vomiting onto the ground. James wiped his mouth and heard footsteps, he looked over at a man in black who was standing a few feet away from him.

"You should have kept a low profile." He said walking towards him. "A lot of people want to get you…"

"You should of just called instead of rugby tackling me of my broom." Said James. "You could of broken my back if it wasn't for this." He said pulling at his armour.

"That was the idea." He said.

"Oh. Well…you're an idiot!" said James.

"Not as much as you for coming here today." The hooded man said. He extended his hand and his wand fell into it.

"Expulso!" A white jaggered light shot out of the wand and hit the ground in front of James. "Hold still you still prick."

Another spell cam towards him which James rolled out the way to avoid.

"Not a good shot for an assassin are you?" Said James.

"This one won't miss punk."

He cried out like he had been hit on the back of the head and hit the floor. James stepped back in shock, behind him was a another man. Great.

He wasn't dressed in black, so that was a start, but he was in dark clothing with gelled back black hair and dark sun glasses.

"Oh great. Are you here to kill me to?" Asked James.

"No James, I'm not." "He said. His voice was English with a dark and menacing tone to it. He stepped forward.

"Do you know who that man is?" He asked. James shook his head.

"You were right, he was an assassin. Sent to kill you by as an act of revenge against the ministry for Robert Murdoch's incarceration."

"Are you from the institute?" Asked James stepping forward.

"Me?" Holding his hand to his chest. "No, I am not from the institute."

"Then why did you save me?" Asked James

"I to am an interested party in you James Potter. Accept I wish to see you live for a few more years." He laughed slightly. "You should listened to dear Leanne and kept yourself quiet."

"Who are you?" Asked James.

"My Name is Riddle. I'm from the sons of Salazar." He said.

"Why do you want me alive?" Asked James. "I'm not a pure blood supremacist."

"Not yet." He said. "But give it time."

"Bring a book because that'll be a while." Said James. Riddle laughed, a cold and merciless laugh, a pathetic fallacy of the day considering where they were.

"So very sure of yourself." He said. The assassin stired.

"Excuse me." He pulled his wand out and pointed it at his stirring head

"Now what does the MfW want with James Potter dead!" He asked him.

"We were told that he was a target!" The assassin spat out. "As an act of revenge." Riddle laughed to himself and knelt down beside him

"You see, I need him alive." Riddle said. "And now, your death will act as a meassge to them."

"What?" Riddle pointed his wand at him

"NO!" James ran towards him.

"Arvada Kedava!"

The green light shone so brightly James had to cover his eyes, but the force sent him flying back. He rolled in the floor and then got to his feet and looked at the lifeless body at Riddles feet.

"You murdered him." James said slowly with a blank and vacant expression.

"A nessacary action." Said Riddle untroubled, holstering his wand. "As I said before, your long term future is important to me."

"Why?"

"Because you are a young wizard capable of great things James." He said. "You will go on to achieve things mere mortals can only dream off. And you will be powerful, I just we will be friends before that happens."

"Like hell it will." Said James.

"Favours are important in this life James. You owe me one now, and one day you will repay it."

Sirens started to wail distance and the kick up of dust on the horizon was the indication of the Enforcers arrival. Riddle grunted and hoisted the body over his shoulder.

"Until we meet again James I hope it'll be soon." Riddle said. He then apparated away. James stood rooted to the spot, he then felt a searing pain in his side which made him slump to his knees.

The dust came closer and started to swoop around him.

"James! James!" Leanne's voice. She came running over towards him as the Enforcers got out of dune buggy's.

"James, what happened to you?" James though was looking straight ahead at where Riddle had been standing.

"James!" He felt Leanne's hand on his face and turn it to her.

"James what happened?"

"Yes Mr Potter." James looked up and saw two other men getting of a buggy. They were dressed in black suits and dark glasses, one had blonde hair and the other dark brown.

"Agents Marriot and Thompson." One of them said. "What happened, who was he?"

"I…I fought him off." Said James getting to his feet. James shook his head. "He said he was from the Magic for Wizards."

"Those guys huh." The Blonde one said. "Looks like our lead was right."

"I'm going to tell my dad." said James.

"Wait, Potter?"

"Yes." said James.

"As in Alec Potter's kid."

"Yes." said James. "Is there a problem?" They looked at each other and then back to James who was looking up expectantly at them.

"We prefer it I you didn't tell him." The dark haired one said.

"Why, he's an Auror, I think he'd want to know if I was nearly killed." Said James.

"It's out of his jurisdiction, it also doesn't help that he's suspended as well."

"He's suspended? Since when?"

"Cleary he doesn't tell you a lot of things." The blonde one said. "Don't worry Mr Potter, we'll take care of it." James narrowed his eyes at them. Something wasn't quite right with them. Maybe he should keep this to himself until he saw his dad again.

"Ok, sure." Leanne looked at him with a scandalous look on her face.

"What!" James flashed her a look that said stop talking. Leanne breathed out, anger on her beautiful features. "Fine." She said shortly.

"Why don't you come with us Mr Potter, you can tell us what happened."

"No." said James. "You already know, I fought him off and he escaped." James explained rotating his shoulder.

"Very impressive for a twelve year old."

"My dad's an Auror." Said James. "You have to be prepared."

"I thought you'd bring up something about Murdoch." The Dark haired man said smugly. "I guess you two a very different."

"Come Leanne, let's go." James said. Leanne nodded and threaded her arm through his and led him away.

* * *

 **Sorry this is late...like, very late.**

 **I had it all ready and then decided just before I was about to post it that I didn't like and I re-wrote it all over again. But on the bright side it means that one chapter for year four is done.**

 **I know a few people where looking forward to seeing James enter the fray, I hope I didn't disappoint you. I should be back to my original posting schedule after today. Leave a review and tell me if the rewrite was worth it.**

 **Happy Reading,**

 **Chambers.**


	7. Chapter 7

"Stop it Alec."

Alec's hand moved over her body underneath the sheets. Alec looked over her body at the clock.

"It's only eight." He said flopping back down.

"We only went to bed a few hours ago." Said Katherine mumbled pulling the sheets around her.

"But I'm awake." Said Alec.

"That's the-" Katherine yawned. "Auror Training for you." She finished. "But were in New York dear, you can find something to do."

"I just want to stay here with you." He said turning over. Katherine smiled and turned over to face him. She poked him in between the shoulder blades.

"Come on pouty." She said. "Turn over. What did we say no-"

"Not to be angry in bed."

"Not to be angry in bed, exactly." Said Katherine. "Turn over." Alec sighed and turned over to face her. Katherine smiled.

"In all these years of marriage." She moved her hand over his fringe to the hair that had come down over his eyes.

"This messy crop refuses to be tamed." She smiled and ran her hands through it. Alec smiled and pulled the duvet around them.

"You never complained before." Said Alec smiling.

"Only when we go to high level functions." Said Katherine, still running her hands through the silky strands. "Then it becomes more of a hindrance than sex appeal." Alec smirked and pulled her in closer.

"I got an owl from James yesterday." Alec hummed in acceptance. "I told him we were coming out here and said we should meet up."

"What did he say?"

"He seemed up for it." Said Katherine, "He said that he had missed us and wanted to see us again."

"How thoughtful of him." Said Alec turning over. "So when are we meeting?"

"Today." Said Katherine. "He's getting Leanne's house elf to apparate him over." Alec snorted.

"Now Alec." Said Katherine. "Less of that, she's nothing like her father, if anything I think she's more like her mother."

"I wonder what Jenny would think of her now."

"She would be happy she found someone like James." Said Katherine. "And maybe you should be grateful that James has someone."

"The apple usually doesn't fall that far from the tree." Said Alec getting up, he stretched and pulled on some boxer shorts.

"One day you'll learn to turn that damn Auror brain of you're off." Said Katherine gathering the sheets to cover herself. "Just give the girl the benefit of the doubt."

"It isn't the way I was taught." Said Alec gathering his clothes and walking towards the shower. He closed the door behind him and turned the shower on. Katherine took a couple of deep breaths and after a quick mental deliberation she pulled the sheets off her and walked towards the bathroom.

She opened the door to be met with a huge wall of steam, she carefully closed the door and tip toed towards the shower cubicle where Alec was letting the scolding hot water hit him in a relaxing way. Katherine opened the cubicle door and slipped inside. She heard Alec laugh and wrap his arm around her.

"If James does decide to bring her back to meet us?" asked Katherine seriously. Alec rested his chin on the top of her head.

"I'm guessing the answer is that I should keep my mouth shut." Said Alec.

"Quite right." Said Katherine. "And you will act happy, even if you don't agree with it." Alec was quiet for a few seconds.

"Fine." He said conceding. "It won't last though."

"What makes you say that?" asked Katherine, "Do you know something I don't?"

"Maybe." Said Alec thinking about that redhead that was in James's room when he went to visit him. "All I can tell you is that it's a hereditary thing." Said Alec. Katherine smiled against his skin.

"I believe you." Said Katherine.

"Good." Said Alec, "So what are we doing today."

 **The Marauders Proudly Present James and Alec Potter In: The Marauders Year Two**

 **Chapter Seven**

 **The Boulevard**

 **Written By Chambers10**

 **Manhattan: New York**

Alec hated America, very surprising since he spent almost all the last year out here. Well he didn't mind LA so much but New York was something else. On the high rise since there were more witches and wizards being discovered over here now than ever before. This meant that that the equivalent of Diagon Alley was now located here. He had never been but Katherine had with Minerva for a shopping trip to see all the fancy boutiques so she was leading the way.

"This is so exciting isn't it?" asked Katherine as they made it to times square.

"Why do they have the entrance to the wizarding world in the most popular tourist attraction?"

"Why is the entrance to platform nine and three quarters in one of the busiest stations in London?" countered Katherine. Alec shrugged.

"Finally something I can explain to you." Said Katherine, "Because it's so busy people won't notice when we slip away."

"I admit it's easier here." Said Alec. "But to get to the station you have to push a trolley cart into a wall. Kinda makes me think that where just waiting for our kind to be caught."

"You know how much the Americans love extravagance." Said Katherine as they crossed the road into the centre of the square.

"Ok, what now." Asked Alec. Katherine looked down at their intertwined hands and then back at Alec.

"Hold on tight." She led him over to a boutique. Alec shook his head.

"Can't we save that till we get to The Boulevard?" Asked Alec. Katherine smiled and shook her head.

"This is the way." Said Katherine, she led him over to a changing room and bundled him into it.

"Been a while since we did this." He said teasingly.

"You should be so lucky." She said pulling down a dressing hook. The back wall then fell down into the floor.

As they passed through they were in a room with an old style haulage lift.

"I never realised it was underground." Said Alec as they walked in.

"Well Diagon Alley was built in a time where magic was socially accepted." Said Katherine. "But, since there isn't enough room over ground to build a wizarding community, they built it underground when they did the underground metro system."

The lift groaned into life and descended down. The light of the open lift was flashing with decent of the lift further down.

The lift then groaned to a halt. The room was just like the one above, a dark open space that was barely lit. Alec opened the gate and he and Katherine made their way towards a door at the other side of the room.

"This is the barrier?" asked Alec. Katherine nodded.

"I thought it would be more secure." Said Alec.

"This is modern dear." said Katherine as she pulled out her wand and tapped the door in a certain place. "It has much better invisible security."

Alec and Katherine passed through the barrier to the Boulevard. The first thing that Alec noticed was that it was certainly sleeker than Diagon Alley; it looked more like a muggle shopping street than an alley under the ground.

Up above was the untouched earth above.

The Boulevard was lit by loads of old style street lamps along the many streets, with trees benches and flowers along the streets.

Alec thought it was like someone had taken a stereotypical American town and placed it underground.

It shouldn't have been surprising; this place only came up in the last twenty years or so while Diagon Alley had been going since the dark ages. It was busier than Alec expected, but most of the people walking around where teenagers. With the American wizarding world so young most of the witches and wizards are youngsters, only a hundred or so older ones left.

"Seems busy." Said Alec looking round. There were dozens of blind spots everywhere which made looking for danger almost impossible. "Trust the Institute to make it bloody difficult to look for danger around here."

"I don't think they designed it with that in mind." Said Katherine.

"Well you know what they said that a terrorist group is apparently going to send a big message." Said Alec. "This seems like the perfect place to do it."

"That was on the word of a street level enforcer." Said Katherine.

"You'd be surprised what they know." Said Alec looking round the street.

"Can you please stop it?" Said Katherine. "Were on holiday, you don't have to look at the Auror side of things all the time."

"Fine." Said Alec. He looked around again, something wasn't quite right. He followed Katherine down the Boulevard. It was mainly filled with youngsters getting their own wizarding supplies. There was a flourish and blotts on his right, along with a potions ingredients store, and then a café.

And then he saw a messy crop of black hair that reminded him of his own.

"There he is." He said pointing to James who was standing outside what looked like a Quidditch shop. He was standing next to Leanne who looked bored out of her mind. James was probably looking at a new broom and going through the specifics of it. Alec used to do the same thing to Katherine, but she always humoured him, listened and hung onto every word. It was one of the little things that made him love her so much, even back then. James should see that as well.

"James. Sweetheart you look so well." Katherine made the first move and went to hug James who returned the gesture.

"And Leanne, oh, you look gorgeous as ever." She said hugging her to. "Sorry we couldn't see you at James's birthday, we were."

"Busy, James told me." Said Leanne. "But it's good to see you all alive and well."

Alec looked around at the people going up the boulevard. He looked across. There was someone there, in a black hoodie watching everything. Alec went to turn fully but by the time he had, they were gone. Everything went back to normal, only the sound of busy conversation being heard and the blurs of passers by being seen now. Alec blinked. Was he imagining things? He shook his head. He'd had a hard year, and a very busy few weeks. Maybe he was just imagining things.

"Mr Potter?" Alec turned to Leanne who was looking up at him. "Are you ok?"

"Fine, Leanne. Just fine." He said hugging her to. He glanced over at Katherine who looked sceptically at him.

"Very nice to see you again. I don't think I want to know what you and James have been getting up to."

"Oh you know us." Said James. "All sorts."

"Oh, Mrs Potter, I saw this lovely dress and I wondered if you could give me your opinion on it?"

"Of course Leanne dear." The two women then walked off, leaving James and Alec outside the Quidditch shop.

"I take it your Quidditch chat isn't that alluring then." Said Alec. James scowled back at him.

"It's not supposed to be." Said James. "It's supposed to be intelligent and meaningful. I mean, look at that." He pointed to the broom he was looking at in the window. Alec had to concede that it looked very nice.

He looked down at the description.

 _The Nimbus Wronski_

 _In celebration of the legendary seeker, Nimbus has sanctioned the creation of this beautiful addition the Nimbus range which pushes Quidditch broom technology to its very limit. It has new sharper throttle response and improved brakes to help all seekers try and emulate their favourite diversion tactic._

 _Price on request._

"That sounds expensive." Said Alec.

"But it would be so worth It." said James. "It's limited to a hundred. I bet all the best seekers are going to get one."

"Maybe you should have stayed as one." said Alec. "You might have a need for one."

"I still need one for being a chaser." Said James. "Speed and braking are very important."

"Is that a, 'dad can you get me that broom' plea. Because it sounds like one." said Alec.

"Well…" James thought for a moment. "It would be nice to have one. I mean it is limited edition." He looked up at the shop.

"I was going to buy some more Quidditch shirts." Said James. "But they don't sell MLQ shirts here. Seems like the whole journey was a bloody waste." Alec laughed and looked over at where Leanne and Katherine where.

He saw it again. That same person in a black hood. Alec blinked and then they were gone again. This couldn't be a coincidence.

"Whatcha looking at Dad?" asked James. Alec wasn't listening.

"Dad?"

"Nothing James." Said Alec. "Why don't we go catch up with you mum and Leanne."

It was boring, but then Alec expecting nothing less when escorting two ladies round one for the most upmarket shopping streets in the wizarding world. James though almost looked shocked at the process. Endless looking but no buying, he was restless, looking around aimlessly, but at least he knew what to say and when to say. It took Alec years to master that.

"How do you put up with it?" asked James.

"You learn to put up with it." Said Alec.

"So how do we get out of it?" asked James.

"There is no way out of it." Replied Alec with a wry smile. "When women shop you either have to get out of it before hand or grin and bear it…"

Alec looked around the Boulevard, and then, in the corner of his eye he saw a black hood. His head whipped round and saw it. He blinked. And they were still there, they looked around and planted a rucksack on the floor before walking away. Gone.

"Dad?"

"Shh." Alec scanned the area with his eyes. Could that be what he thought it was, this was it, this was what Murdoch warned him about. Mass muggleborn killings, on the busiest shopping day of the wizarding year. That would definitely send out the message. He looked back at James and then at Leanne and Katherine. He looked back at James.

"Go get Leanne and your mother." Said Alec he started to walk off. "And then get out of here!"

"What? Why?" asked James.

"Just do it!" shouted Alec.

BOOOM.

A huge orange light filled his vision and then threw him back. The sound of buildings falling and the smell of singed flesh in the air. It was like being back at the wars.

Alec regained his consciousness, all he could hear was screaming, screaming over the ringing of his own ears. He propped himself up slowly, a piece of rubble falling off his shoulder onto the floor. He shook his head to try and regain his senses, a bomb, why was there a bomb in the Boulevard, who was it for, why was here. Who planted it? Alec closed his eyes to stop the ringing in his ears.

He opened his eyes and everything hit him all at once. The screams where loud and blood curdling, there where bodies lying in the street, some dead, some injured, and some maimed. Alec looked to the side and saw people fleeing away from them.

He looked over to where he saw that rucksack and saw that the building it was propped up against wasn't there anymore. Just a smouldering black crater.

Alec got to his feet slowly and looked around and saw people helping each other up, mainly covered in dust and also blood. Alec's ears popped and he heard the screaming of parents around him. Katherine, James.

"KATH! JAMES!"

"Where here, where alright." Katherine shouted back. Alec looked round. Being in the Auror's, he had been specifically trained to spot the anomalies in major incidents. A bomb attack on the most densely populated wizarding area in North America certainly fitted on that list.

The first instinct of innocent people is to gauge their own safety. The second is curiosity. And the third is to voyeur. Guilty people do one thing.

Alec looked round and saw someone, they were watching the scene before them, hiding underneath, a black hood. Once again, guilty people do one thing. The person turned round. They run.

"Kath, Kath, stay here with James and Leanne."

"Why? Where are you going?" she asked frantically. Alec got to his feet.

"A lead." He shrugged his coat and the dust fell to the floor. He then sprinted of towards the figure. HE ran across the rubble and jumped over a piece of building and sprinted towards the alley and skidded at the mouth.

"Stop! Auror!" shouted Alec. The hooded figure turned round to face him. Alec couldn't see who was underneath the hood. They ran off and Alec ran again in pursuit.

He sprinted down the alley and pulled out some razor wing-dings. He threw them down the alley. They missed the hooded figure and stuck into the wall. Alec skidded round the corner and saw a door closing up in front of him.

"No you don't!" Alec increased his speed and jumped through the whole into a crowded shop. A woman screamed at the sight of him flying into a clothes display. Alec scrambled to his feet.

"Detective Potter, NYPD!" he shouted. "I'm looking for a person in a black hoodie!" The muggles just stared at him dumbly. "Anyone!" They didn't say a word Alec quickly scanned the room. No one was wearing a black hoodie.

"Fucking useless." Shouted Alec running to the exit and yanking the door open and running into the street.

"Fuck…" He was in Times Square. There were people everywhere, and with cars beeping as well.

He thought about calling H and for air support as well. Try and get some feet on ground. He went to touch his ear. But nothing happened. Then he remembered that he threw it on his desk when he left. He was on his own now. Damn the department for going up with the times.

What would Teddy do?

" _People try to act normal are always hiding something."_

" _What makes you say that?"_

" _Because where all weird in our own way." He explained. "But when we are in public, we try to conform to what people think as normal."_

" _And does that help me try and track someone in a huge crowd?"_

 _Alec looked around frantically looking for any type of anomaly._

" _Because, you can always tell when someone is acting, they never conform to social protocols. It could be as simple as someone who walks fast not over taking someone slow because they think it will look suspicious, or someone on the phone but never adds to the conversation, or someone who waits at a taxi rank, but never hails a taxi."_

Alec looked at a taxi rank and saw some business men hailing taxis and getting in. But…there was a woman there, she wasn't doing anything, she was…just standing there. She could have crossed the road ages ago… But she wasn't wearing a hoodie, and had a bag, something the bomber had left at the Boulevard. Alec was about to move on when he noticed the bag she was holding, hanging out of it slightly, was a black hoodie. Alec thought about the way the person ran. The hip displacement, the way she ran, argh, why didn't he see it sooner!

Alec looked back at the shop he ran out off.

He then looked back at the woman bag, the same make. Alec smirked to himself. God he was good sometimes.

"Stop! NYPD!"

She was the first to turn. Big, mistake.

"Stop that woman!" he shouted. The crowd all looked over at her while Alec ran towards her. She dropped the bag and ran away to.

Why did they always run, why couldn't they just surrender, they almost always think they can run. Alec pushed people out of the way towards her.

"Hey watch it!"

"Watch where you're going you jerk!"

"Hey I'm walking here!"

Alec strained his neck to try and keep her in view. But it was very difficult with these muggle in his way. She was constantly looking back him, her brown hair flicking back as she did, having the same problem as him, but with Alec being taller and bigger he was able to make ground better.

She tried to hurry but couldn't, looking more and more agitated over her shoulder. Alec then reached out and then pulled her into an alley.

"You're done."

"Unlikely handsome." She pushed her arm up and gas rushed out and hit him in the face. Alec fell to his knees and coughed. He squinted through the smoke and saw her running. Alec got back to his feet and sprinted through the smoke just in time to see her run round the corner of a street. Alec followed suit and skidded round the corner so he was now on a busy shopping street.

He spotted her go off into a side alley. Alec made his way silently through the crowd he looked down the alley and could see her trying to apparate, but not having any success. Great, the institute had shut down the network.

"Having trouble?" he asked as he walked down the alley towards her. She turned back in surprise. She was pretty with brown hair that was pulled back into a pony tail.

"My guess is that they've shut the apparition network, so you either surrender now and make this easy, or, we do this the hard way."

"Hard." She said. "Though I somehow doubt you'll be rough enough for my liking." She went to throw something to the floor but Alec threw a wingding, it hit her wrist, making it fall to the ground.

"I'm getting sick of the smoke bombs." He said. "Quiet or hard?" she nodded.

"Hard." She swung her arm and threw something into the air. They exploded like little fireworks that made Alec place his coat up to defend himself from the sparks and then saw her run off again. Alec ran back through the sparks and saw her kick down a door leading into a building.

Alec raced in and could see her ascending up the stairs. He ran up but just couldn't keep up with her. Alec got to the top of the building and saw her jump across to the rooftop across. Alec got his wand into his hand.

"ROPARO!" the lasso shot out and snared the woman round the ankle. Alec pulled it back and she fell on the floor. Alec ran over but she was trying to get up. Alec threw more razor wingdings so they stopped her. He landed and rolled and out of his coat pulled out a bolas and threw it low across the floor.

The woman flipped backwards, letting to bolas fly beneath her and landed on her haunches. She looked at Alec and almost decided there and then she couldn't beat him head on in a fight. She was slowly backing to the edge.

"You have nowhere to run." Said Alec. "Surrender."

"Catch me first."

"What?" She fell backwards, her arms outstretched.

"NO!" Alec ran to the edge and saw her on top of a train now going off into the distance. Alec shook his head and then took a couple of steps back, he then ran over the edge. He just needed to get to the edge of the last carriage.

Alec slammed into back of the carriage. He grunted and then pulled himself up onto the top of the train.

The train was flying through the city centre with the buildings now very close together. Alec made his way across the carriages to the front of the train. But she'd got down of the roof and into one on the carriages. Great.

Alec jumped back down onto one of the connections and then opened the door into the carriage.

* * *

She sat down on the train and rearranged her hair. That was close, way too close for her liking. Opposite her a small girl with her mother who was looking at her with a strange and curious look on her face. She tried to ignore it as the station came into view. She would come off here and then take the underground out of city towards Queens. The train pulled into the station.

"Mummy, I don't like getting the train." The mother gathered her child and looked at the woman. "There are loads of strange people."

"Shh, honey." The mother said, trying not to draw attention to themselves.

"But I'm scared of him." The little girl reiterated. Wait, him. The woman turned to the door and saw the large imposing figure of Alec in the door way.

"Found you, you little bitch." He said, "Everyone, get to your nearest exit." The woman laughed.

"Wow, such a clever hound." She said. "I think this is a new record." She pulled out her wand. "But there's no reason we can't smile and be happy for such a rare occasion." She flicked her wand and a red spark came out.

"Expelliamus!" The wand flew out of the woman's hand. As it hit the floor the wand exploded, filling the carriage with thick white smoke. The woman had darted towards the exit, Alec jumped towards her, his coat fanning the smoke on his decent to give the passengers more time to escape. Alec burst through the door, whatever was in the gas was making his muscles cramp with every movement. When he burst through he saw her scrambling up towards the top of the next carriage, Alec climbed up the ladder and saw her at the top of the carriage.

As Alec got to the top of the carriage she jumped. Alec grunted and jumped after her. She was not going to get away from him.

Alec tackled her mid-air and they smashed into water storage tank on a building. The woman rolled next Alec and as he rose he saw her pull a gun. Alec sent a razor disc over towards her and it knocked it out of her hand. He felt a searing pain in his shoulder to see a knife sticking out.

The same pain was then felt in his thorax and saw another knife sticking out. He looked up to see her with another knife coming towards him. She swung for him, Alec dodged the blow, he grabbed her wrist and thrusted it upwards to the sky, with a swift turn of his wrist he broke her arm.

Instead of screaming in pain, she started laughing. Alec hated it. HE hit her again. He just needed to stop, the, laughing! It ran out over the city, the pure elation from something that Alec couldn't find funny. She had killed innocents and no doubt would have killed more. Alec grabbed hold of her and slammed her into the water but.

"You're done!"

"You think you tee-hee so smart!" Alec punched her again, just to stop the laughing! "You have no idea!"

"Anyone else would kill you."

"That's the problem with your kind." She said, "No, guts!" She placed a finger on him and felt an electric bolt course through him. The pain was unbearable, the electricity spreading to every extremity, doing his cramping muscles no favours at all. With a burst of strength Alec pushed arms out, breaking the contact. Alec was on one knee, smoke rising from his body.

"You really aren't prepared." She said, Alec looked up, this woman, who ever she was, pulled out another knife. "And as usual, the Institute's blindness will be its downfall." She jumped towards him, knife raised high above her head.

As her hand came down, Alec grabbed it and flipped her over the top of the building. He then go to his feet and looked over the side. She hit the metal balconies on the way down, before finally hitting a dumpster at the bottom, but she was still laughing, why was she still laughing.

"Woo, what a fun ride." She said.

"Time for another." Said Alec, he knocked her out. He stood up and pulled her over his shoulder and apparated away.

* * *

James looked around at the destruction before him. A lot of people like him looking around blankly at what was around them, he looked down at his shoulder and saw Leanne there leaning on it.

"You ok sweetheart?" James looked up and saw his mum come over.

"Yeah, yeah I'm good." Said James.

"And Leanne?" James looked down at her sleeping on his shoulder.

"She's fine." Said James. He looked up at his mum who looked more tired than he had ever seen her. She had been tending to the wounded in the explosion, Auror training, though no one from The Institute had turned up to see what was going on.

"Where's dad?"

"He's tracking someone down who's involved." Said Katherine sitting down next to James. "I'm sorry, I didn't expect this to happen." Said Katherine. "Here I was looking for a nice getaway from all this."

"The quiet life." Said James. Katherine smiled.

"Yes, the quiet life."

"But you've got that now you're retired." Said James.

"This is not the quiet life." Said Katherine laughing while hugging him.

"Is everyone ok?" Katherine looked up and saw two men in suits coming over towards them. They had short military style haircuts with stern looks on their faces while their eyes where protected by black sunglasses.

"And you are?" asked Katherine getting to her feet.

"Agents Lynch and Lynch." One of them said.

"Any relation to Agent Lynch, Normandy, 1944." Said Katherine.

"There a lot of the Lynch's in America Ma'am." Said the other one.

"Really, because you remind me of him."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah," said Katherine, "He was an arsehole to." The smirk instantly disappeared from his face as he confronted Katherine. "Where have you been, there are people who were dying here."

"We couldn't risk our people through fear of a secondary device." One of them said. "Though we heard that an Auror Agent was on the trail of a suspect."

"Yes, my husband. Alec Potter." Said Katherine.

"Might I ask what he's doing here?" asked Lynch.

"Where on holiday." Said Katherine. "And since you people care only about saving your own skin he's out there doing your job for you!"

"Done." Katherine turned round to see Alec carrying a woman over his shoulder. "Done their job for them." Alec threw the person over his shoulder to the ground.

"Bloody enforcers can't do anything right." Said Alec. "I'll come by your precinct later to question her." Said Alec turning back.

"I'm afraid that's classified." Said Lynch. Alec smirked.

"Nothing is with you people." Said Alec. "I'll see you soon." He turned back fully with Katherine towards James and Leanne.

"You ok Son?" he asked. James nodded and looked down at Leanne.

"She's ok to." James replied. Alec nodded.

"Well come on, we need to get out of here." Said Alec.

Alec opened the door with James taking Leanne inside and Katherine behind him. Alec closed the door, bolted it and placed a wordless locking charm on the door.

"We should be alright." Said Alec taking his coat off. He winced and looked down at his shirt. It was covered in two huge red stains.

"Alec, you're bleeding." Said Katherine walking over and placing a hand on his torso.

"It's fine." He lied, if he let it bleed any longer he would bleed out.

"Come on, where going to stich you up." Said Katherine. "James, is Leanne ok?"

"She's in shock." Said James now appearing from the second bedroom. "She's sleeping now."

"Go and floo her house and have her house elf pick her up." Said Katherine, "I need to tend to your father, powders in my purse."

"Ok." James walked into the main room while Katherine helped Alec into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. She instantly took his shirt off and inspected the piercings that where small but very deep."

"Knife wounds." She mused. "Deep as well." She added while turning back to the first aid bag.

"I didn't see them coming." Said Alec. "She got me quick and cleanly."

"Highly trained then." Said Katherine as she applied TCP to some cotton pads.

"Some sort of stealth training." Said Alec, "But I can't Hsssssss!" He hissed as the pad hit the first wound.

"Sorry." Said Katherine. "Just one more then I can stich it."

"But I can't be sure." Alec finished. "She moved very well. She was able to cut the lasso before it went taught. That has to be practiced." Said Alec, "Learned."

"A mercenary perhaps?" asked Katherine. Alec shook his head.

"No, this was personal." Said Alec. "Something in the planning."

"What was the bomb made out of?"

"Judging by the density, I would say Fulminated Mercury." Said Alec. He grimaced as Katherine applied the first stich.

"Do we know what the damage is yet?" asked Alec.

"No, I'm retired." Said Katherine. "I don't know a thing."

"Shame." Said Alec.

"You're not going to follow this up." Said Katherine sternly. "Leave the Institute to handle it."

"You know as well as I do that there idiots." Said Alec. He looked down at the stitching and then leaned back."

"I don't care, you're suspended." Said Katherine. "Would Stanford really approve of you going to do this?"

"I think he might actually approve of it." Said Alec. Katherine looked up uneasily at him.

"Maybe you should consider the whole retirement thing." Said Katherine.

"So we could do this." Asked Alec chuckling. "Yeah, retirement sounds great." Katherine shook her head.

"Maybe not so much like this." She said. She finished the stitching and looked up at him. He was already going she thought. He gripped his fist and looked down at the finished article.

"All done." She said smiling. "Just make sure you don't do anything strenuous ok otherwise they will break." Alec nodded.

"I'm just going to make sure James is ok." Said Katherine walking out of the room. She walked to the bedroom where James was sitting down on the bed while Leanne was lying down on it.

"I spoke to her dad." Said James. "He said he'd come pick her up. How's dad?"

"Bruised but alright." Said Katherine, "Though something tells me he's going to be going to The Institute." James nodded solemnly. Katherine ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead.

"I'm going to the Institute." Said Alec loudly from the hallway. Katherine sighed, she knew this would happen. "I need to see this through." Katherine got up and walked towards him.

"Why though?" asked Katherine, "Couldn't they deal with it?" Alec raised an eyebrow.

"You saw what they did earlier, do you really want to leave them to deal with it?" Said Alec. Katherine sighed and looked away.

"You can look after James and Leanne." Said Alec, "Besides, her dads coming to pick her up." Katherine nodded.

"Ok, go, but call me if you need anything." Alec nodded and looked around the corridor of the room and apparated away.


	8. Chapter 8

Alec landed in an industrial area that had an overcast sky. Alec put his hands in his pockets and walked towards a dilapidated warehouse to the left of him. Alec pulled his collar up to protect himself from the wind as he got closer. A train horn went off in the distance as he looked at the sign at the front of the building.

 ** _Universal Imports._**

Alec shook his head, they couldn't even come up with their own cover name. He pushed open the door into the dingy welcome area. The walls almost looked yellow but Alec could tell it was a trick of the light. HE turned the receptionist's window and knocked on it. After what seemed like an age a small old woman pulled back the frosted glass. She looked up at Alec through thick jam jar glasses.

"Yes?"

"Hello, I was hoping I could use your bathroom?" asked Alec. The old woman looked up and down at him.

"Down the hall on the right." She said.

"Thanks." Said Alec walking down the corridor. He pushed the door open and looked at the singular dingy toilet.

"They desperately need to get a better entrance." Said Alec as he pulled the flush. Alec was pulled down until he fell out at The Institute.

 **The Marauders Proudly Present Alec Potter In The Marauders: Year Two**

 **Chapter Eight**

 **He Who Must Not Be Named**

 **Written By Chambers10**

The Institute was, in Alec's mind, a more modern version of the Ministry of Magic, not that America needed its own Magical Government. It's just something they liked having. But Alec did like the building. It was sleek with black granite flooring with, in the area that Alec was in little cubicles that men and women where coming out of. With a terrorist attack they must have called everyone in to help deal with it.

Alec walked through the crowd of people who were talking and shouting at one another about the attack. Alec was able to seamlessly weave in with the crowd and made his way towards the centre of The Institute. The centre was a big circular room with a huge oak desk that went right the way around with people arguing at the desk and being sent off to different departments.

Alec knew where he needed to go. He weaved through the crowd of people till he got to an elevator. He got in.

"Hey mate, hold to door." Alec looked at the guy, he seemed young and desperate for a break, Alec stopped the door with his foot and the guy ran in.

"Cheers pal." He said, "Been trying to get one for ages."

"Not a problem." Alec pressed a button.

"Law Enforcement Department." The Elevator lurched and sped off towards to the destination.

"Are you an Enforcer?" the man asked.

"Kind of." Said Alec.

"You don't sound American." Alec chuckled.

"You're right there mate." He said, "I'm an Auror, from The Ministry in London."

"Are you here about the bomb?"

"Kinda, yeah." Said Alec.

"What, to help?"

"No, to lead." Said Alec. The Elevator stopped and the doors opened. "Have a nice day mate." Said Alec walking out.

Alec was faced with a receptionist sitting by a big oak door. The receptionist was filing her nails, not really paying attention to anything going on around her. She finally looked up when Alec walked towards the desk.

"Sorry, the departments in lockdown." She said.

"That's alright," said Alec, "I need to speak to Agent Lynch." The Receptionist looked up at him.

"There are lots of Agent Lynch's here." She said. "You'll have to be more specific."

"He was blond and wore a suit." Said Alec, "He was also a complete tool." The receptionist looked up again.

"As I said, there are lots of Agent Lynch's like that." Alec tutted and walked to the door. "Hey, what you doing?"

"Being more specific." Said Alec kicking the door. The lock broke and it flew open the reveal the inside. It looked a lot like the inside of Alec's own Auror Precinct. There was a huge bull pen with enforcers on the phones trying to get leads on what happened earlier. Some desks where empty but the majority where full.

"I dropped something of here." Said Alec walking into the office. He inspected the back of the room where there where a line of offices that had frosted glass, no doubt that's where the Auror's where stationed.

"A woman, in connection with the bombing." Said Alec. Still no answer from anyone in the building. Alec bit his lip.

"Sir, I don't know who you are but you have to leave." Said one of the enforcers.

"No, I left a woman with you for questioning." Said Alec, "I'm here to talk to her now, so, if you'd be so kind as to direct me to that person we'll all be hunky dory."

"Agent Lynch has left orders not to be disturbed." Said the Enforcer, "Now, it's time to for you to leave." Alec laughed.

"And who's going to stop me?" he asked, "You?"

"If that's what it takes." The enforcer said walking towards Alec.

"Who are you working for?!" Shouted Lynch, angrily pounding his fist on the table. The woman just looked up at him with a manic grin that wasn't giving anything away. Lynch breathed deeply and walked back round to his side of the table.

"Look, tell us what we want to know and maybe we can make a deal." He said. The woman looked away again in disgust.

"Why did you do it?" Lynch asked. Again, nothing, not even a sound came from her. Lynch looked to his partner who was pinching the bridge of his nose.

"This is hopeless, she ain't talking." His partner said. "I think maybe we should get the cloth and a bucket of water." The words didn't make her flinch at all, she just stared at the mirror opposite her.

"Where not getting anywhere." Said Lynch, "Bring the tools in, the Geneva Convention is going out of the window for this one."

BANG

The glass splintered making both Lynch and his partner turn and look at the window with their wands drawn.

"What the hell?"

"Seems like you have another problem." The woman said, both men turned again towards her.

"Maybe a proper interrogator might turn up now."

"What do you mean proper interrga-"Lynch was cut short as the window behind him smashed with an enforcer flying into the room? Lynch looked up and saw Alec Potter standing in the gap.

"Lynch." He said Smirking, "Good. I need to speak with her." Lynch was shaking with anger.

"My office!" he said pointing. He stormed out of the room. "Move her to another cell!" he barked as he emerged from the room. "And send him the infirmary!" he said pointing at the Enforcer on the floor. The whole department looked shocked as Alec followed Lynch into one of the offices at the back of the room.

Lynch barged the door open and Alec walked inside after him. He shut the door.

"I don't know who you think you are!" he roared, "But you cannot come into my precinct, throw my staff around, and act like you're king of the fucking hill!"

"Shut up, you dumb, fuck." Said Alec, "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have your only lead, in this, so, I'm going to go in there and talk to her. As of now, this is a Ministry of Magic affair."

"We'll see about that!" Lynch spat as he picked up a phone and began to dial. Alec shook his head and walked out of the room.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Auror Agent Alec Potter." Said Alec as he walked back into the bull pen and back towards the room where the woman was.

"Where is she now?" Alec questioned. Lynch's partner came round.

"She's here." He said leading Alec towards the room.

"Has she said anything?" asked Alec.

"Not a word." The man said concerned. "Do you think you can make her talk?"

"Yeah." Said Alec, "I know something about her though."

"What exactly?"

"Me to know and for you to mind your own business." Said Alec as he opened the door and closed it abruptly behind him.

"You must always be grouchy." Alec looked up at the voice, she was sitting down smiling at him. The same smile she wore earlier, manic and unsettling.

"It comes with the territory." Said Alec, he pulled the file from underneath his coat and sat down opposite this woman. They stared at each other for a few seconds, it's all that it took to show Alec he was staring into the eyes of a madwoman.

"So, ten deaths, over a hundred and fifty people injured." He pulled back the chair and sat down. "Probably expected it to be the other way around didn't you?" The woman smirked and looked away from Alec.

"I'm guessing already that they've already asked you the, who are you working for and all that." The woman nodded, again not looking at him.

"And you haven't told them a thing." She nodded again.

"Smart girl." Said Alec. He flicked through the folder and picked out a couple of pieces of paper.

"Very smart if you were able to make this by yourself." Alec placed the first piece of paper down, it was a drawing of a bomb.

"Homemade." He continued, "A concentrate of condensed mercury."

"You know your chemistry." She said looking at him.

"I know a lot of things." Said Alec. "But, condensed mercury maims better than it kills."

"A man of Experience as well." She said. "Don't think I don't know you…Alec Potter." Alec tried his best to hide his surprise at her revelation.

"Well." Said Alec sitting down. "I guess asking for yours is out of the question." She smiled and nodded.

"Cute as you are, I don't give out my name." Alec chuckled.

"Well, can I call you by some other name?" he said, "I don't really want to be referring to you as it or she."

"I suppose that's fair." She said. "Uhm…you can call me…Bella."

"Bella?" said Alec. "Was that the best you could come up with?"

"What would you recommend?" she asked.

"Something that doesn't make you sound like a moronic teenager." Said Alec. Bella went quiet.

"Does that fact I know your name not scare you?" she asked. Alec shook his head.

"No." he replied, "Loads of people know my name."

"Are you sure?" she asked, "Because you should be."

"I'll tell you what I think." Said Alec. "The only reason you know my name is because it was mentioned to you. Now, that means that your master, wants to have a word with me, am I right."

"You might be."

"Your only saving grace is that I don't know who you work for." Alec elaborated. "And that's true, I don't." he turned back to face her. "Not yet, anyway." Her mouth curled into a smile.

"You know nothing, Alec Potter." She said. It was Alec's turn to smile.

"Are you sure?" asked Alec. He walked behind and pulled out the photo of the undercover worker with the sign of Salazar Slytherin. He threw it on the table and she peered over, Alec could hear her sharp intake of breath.

"Now, Bella." He said, "Do you recognise that man." She was studying the photo in silence. Her finger ran over the photo before putting it down on the table. "Well, do you?"

"No," she said quietly.

"That doesn't sound very confident." Said Alec walking round to face her again. "You clearly know him." She remained quiet. "Or of him." Bella glared up at him.

"Well, if you don't know the man." Said Alec, "And you clearly do, why don't we talk about the symbol on his arm." Bella looked away uncomfortably again.

"Because you were right what you said before. I do know a lot of things. And that." He pointed to the skull and snake. "Is the sign of Salazar Slytherin? The skull and the snake, which is a sign of a parcelmouth." Said Alec.

"That doesn't mean a thing to me." She said looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Are you sure?" Asked Alec. "Because it looks like you've seen a ghost." Bella started to rub her left forearm underneath her hoodie.

"You see, this symbol has been associated with a man who, at the moment goes by the alias. 'He who must not be named.'" Bella gulped.

"Oh." Said Alec. "Now you definitely know that name don't you." Bella looked down at the photo of the man that O'Leary had killed. The earlier confidence had gone, she was rattled by his revelations.

"I hear he's very paranoid." Said Alec getting to his feet. "Wonder how he'll take to finding out that the person who he sent to blow up the Boulevard is still alive." He slammed his hands on the table. "And talking to me in an Institute cell!" Bella scuttled back in her chair, clearly shocked at the sudden bad cop routine.

"Because that's what happened to him!" said Alec pointing at the man O'Leary killed. "He was captured by a mafia in London. The next morning he was found dead by the omega curse!" Alec pulled back.

"I know that's a little favourite of your bosses." Said Alec. "I captured one of his lieutenants who likes this curse. Robert Murdoch. I guess you know that."

Bella took another deep breath and looked around the room before looking back at Alec. "The question is though, how long can you survive, because from what I've seen, these guys get through to you people quickly."

Bella was gripping her hoodie quite hard and looking at the floor, Alec also noticed that she was trembling. He smirked to himself, the scare tactic worked.

"Can you keep me safe?" She asked. She looked, her brown eyes pleading at him.

"Not so cocky now you little bitch." Said Alec. "You're scared out of your mind, and you should be. You don't know what he's getting you into." Bella didn't look up at him.

"I have a cell in Azkaban solitary confinement with your name on it." Said Alec. "No person on earth can get to it without the Ministry finding out."

"I'll take it." Said Bella. "I need to get out or he'll kill me."

"You don't get it that easy." Said Alec sitting back down. "I'm going to ask you questions about who you work for, when I'm satisfied with what you give me, you get your cell."

"That's blackmail." Said Bella.

"Even if it is." Said Alec. "It's the only option you have." The room was quiet as Bella thought over what Alec was offering her. Alec would take this deal right now, it was the best she could hope for. The institute couldn't offer her anything like this, she would be dead by sunrise if she took anything else.

"…Ok." She said. "What do you want to know?"

"You clearly haven't been with him from the beginning." Said Alec. "Who are you, and how did your group fall in line with this." Bella breathed deeply.

"Our name is Leviathan." She said, "We were just a small time group of purebloods, protesting about the influx of mudblood witches and wizards into our society." Alec nodded.

"It was stupid really." Bella said shaking her head. "Just a bunch of jumped up rich kids pissed off that outsiders where muscling in on our way of life, you have the same problem across the pond, no?"

"I'm all for integration." Said Alec.

"But they bring corruption and greed with them." Said Bella, "Our numbers where just fine until these ego fuelled assholes came here!"

"And so the best way for you to get them is to blow them up." Bella didn't reply straight away, she looked down at the floor.

"No." she whispered. "Maybe a protest or two to get them to stay away but…" she looked up at Alec. "Nothing like this."

"You seem awfully remorseful now." Said Alec. Bella didn't say anything. "So how did he find you?" asked Alec?

"He, came to us during a meeting." Said Bella, "He said that you Brits where having the same problem that we were. About mudbloods."

"Don't say that word." Said Alec.

"He said that if we wanted to stop The Institute from discovering more, then we had to send a message. One that would make them sit up and take notice."

"So a small time protest group suddenly goes to terrorist attacks." Alec crossed his arms over his chest. "It must have been of been one hell of an example for him to get you all on side." Said Alec, "Let me guess." He pointed to the man who O'Leary had killed.

"That was his example." Said Alec, "Not him personally, but I'm guessing it was your former leader." Bella again was quiet as she looked at the floor. The grip on her own arm vice like.

"You're going to cut of circulation to your arm doing that." Said Alec. Bella looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Did he give you, his name?" asked Alec. Bella didn't say a word.

"You're not playing the odds." Said Alec, "I need a name."

"He didn't give us a name." said Bella. "All he said was that he was someone who could change and help us." Alec nodded.

"What did he look like?" Bella thought for a moment.

"He was young." Said Bella. "He had greased black hair, a handsome face, and…."

"And what?" asked Alec standing up, he gripped the edge of the table.

"Red, eyes." Said Bella. "He had red eyes." Alec sat back down slowly. He looked at the photos of the men in front of him and wondered if this 'He who must not be named' had killed them all in case of word slipping about his operation. Why was he peddling about Leviathan, maybe he needed cover operation, he wants to throw people off the track, maybe he was planning something. Alec looked up at Bella.

"Did he tell you what he was planning?" asked Alec. Bella shook her head.

"He only said that it was something big." Replied Bella. "That no mudblood would ever come into our world."

Alec stood up, he gathered the file and walked towards the door.

"Hey!" he looked back towards Bella. "Well? Do I get my cell?"

"I'm going to make a few calls." Said Alec, he looked at her up and down. "See if it's worth our time."

"Hey!" Bella got to her feet. "Hey you can't leave me he_" Alec slammed to door and locked it.

"Actually, I can." Said Alec. He reshuffled his file and looked over at Lynch's partner who was still outside the door.

"Keep an eye on her." Said Alec. The guy nodded and walked into the room. Alec closed it behind him and walked back down the corridor towards the bullpen. He could hear a commotion from further up the corridor, Alec placed his hands in his pockets and walked out to see Stanford Parks, his boss, Tim Henley, Minister of Magic, Agent Lynch, and a very angry looking older man.

"There he is!" said Lynch pointing to Alec. "That arsehole just walked into my department and demanded to talk to a suspect!"

"What's the problem here?" asked Alec.

"Maybe you can explain Potter." Said Henley, he was porky man with very little chin and a big bushy moustache. "Since Stanford has told me you're on Field suspension." Lynch turned to Alec with a disbelieving look on his face.

"He's suspended!" said Lynch, "And you let him out of your sight?" he roared pointing at Parks.

"Simmer down, Marilyn." Said Alec, he turned to Parks and Henley. "I was in the Boulevard when the bomb went off." Explained Alec, "I've been out here for the last couple of days holidaying with my family and we were in the Boulevard when the bomb went off. I was able to identify a suspect who I apprehended and left with The Institute." He said looking over at Lynch. "I came back to question her because she might have been a lead in an Investigation I was working on before I got suspended." Said Alec, "And I have some information from her that's quite useful."

"What, exactly?" asked Lynch, folding his arms across his chest. Alec looked around the bullpen. He couldn't risk anything, not here.

"Why don't we go into your office?" Said Alec, "It's not the sort of thing that we should share out here.

Lynch looked to the other man they were with who nodded. The group made their way towards the office and field inside, Alec closing the door behind them.

"So Alec, what have you learned?" Asked Parks. "Do you know her name?" Alec shook his head. Lynch scoffed.

"But, I do know she's a member of a group calling itself Leviathan." Said Alec.

"Leviathan are a small protest group." Said Lynch, "There absolutely nothing to worry about."

"Clearly you haven't been keeping a close enough eye on them." Said Alec pulling out the file. "They protested about the expansion of Muggleborn witches and Wizards in the American wizarding world. But, they were recently visited by a man from England, the same one that broadcasted that message." He finished looking over at Parks. "He put them up to the task of blowing up the Boulevard as a message."

"Do we know who this man is?" asked Parks. Alec exhaled loudly.

"Murdoch mentioned him to me." Said Alec, "That's why he wanted to see me."

"But does he go by a name?" asked Parks.

"He who must not be named." Said Alec. "'You know who for short. He's decided to use this Leviathan group to get his message across."

"That's ridiculous." Said Lynch. "Any movement in that group and we would of heard of it."

"And yet you failed to see the attack coming." Said the other man in the room, he looked over at Alec. "I'm guessing this…you know who's message is the same as Leviathans."

"Yes." Said Alec. "But this woman who I've caught is in danger. This who know who is known to kill people before they talk."

"He won't be able to get to anyone in here that's for sure." Said Lynch.

"Murdoch said this guy had people everywhere." Said Alec. "So forgive me but your statement isn't as sound as you'd like to think."

"You're missing the point that your still suspended, Potter." Said Lynch. "So this is still an Institute case rather than a Ministry one."

"Oh I'm sorry." Said Alec turning to face Lynch. "I've been able to get out of her in half an hour than you have with six hours."

"How did you get the information?" asked Parks. "You must have offered her something?"

"Protection." Said Alec, "A secure cell in Azkaban. That was for everything she knows."

"Well I support Alec in this." Said Parks. "This should be a Ministry investigation. We'll take her into custody and lock her up."

"Fat chance." Said Lynch. "This is an Institute case, it happened on American soil, American Witches and Wizards died, we should handle this, shouldn't be Sir." The other man was quiet. Lynch turned his head to him slowly.

"Sir?" The man remained quiet. "You cannot be serious?"

"Marriot, you have to face the facts that we don't have the same resources that the Ministry does." He explained carefully. "Maybe we should let them take the investigation. They'll be able to get the results quicker."

"DO you have any faith in my department?" he asked. "Is it enough that you didn't trust me to catch Robert Murdoch but now you won't let me question a suspect?"

"I'm sorry." He said, "But that's the way it has to be." He looked over at Henley. "You may take her back to Azkaban."

"Thanks, Jack." Said Henley. "So where is this suspect?"

"I left him with, 'Marriot's man." Said Alec. "I'll go get her." Marriot sat on his desk moodily as Alec and Parks walked out.

"Why do all weirdoes decide to sprout up in the summer time?" asked Parks, "Could do with a bloody holiday about now." He chuckled and looked over at Alec who was staring at the door.

"Alec?" His eyes still glued to the door, "Alec…" Parks voice sounded like it was coming from a long tunnel. He was watching the door as he walked out, but as he did, he noticed someone slip out. It was Marriot's man, the one who Alec left with Bella… Why would he leaving in the time of crisis? Especially since the guilty party had been apprehended.

Bella.

" _He has people everywhere you know."_

Alec turned towards the interrogation cells. No…he wouldn't.

"Alec…" Alec ran towards the cells. "ALEC!" Alec pushed a couple of people out of the way towards the cells. He ran towards the room and yanked the door open. Alec roared and smashed his fist on the pane. Bella was slumped over the table, Marriot's man no were to be seen. Alec turned back to the corridor.

" _He has people everywhere you know."_

"Alec." Parks ran towards him, "Alec what's…wrong." Parks saw the body, he turned to Alec who was breathing heavily.

"Seal the Institute!" said Alec. "That bastard doesn't get away!" Alec sprinted off, how could he of let this happen right underneath his nose. He ran into the bull pen and looked at the door.

"SEAL THE BUILDING!" he shouted as he sprinted through the middle. The enforcers looked at him weirdly as he raced through the room and out to the foyer. Parks came in soon after him.

"YOU HEARD HIM! A SUSPECTS BEEN MURDERED." Shouted Parks, "SEAL THE BUILDING, NO ONE GETS IN OR OUT!"

Alec got the foyer the elevator was gone he turned to ask the secretary where he went. He saw her slumped over her desk. Alec growled and ran for the door and tried to open the door. It was sealed shut. Alec pulled out his wand.

"Reducto!" The lift doors blasted open, Alec peered over the edge and looked at the elevator. It was heading towards the main hall. Alec jumped and grabbed onto one of the rail the Elevator was on and pulled himself up.

The rail was just big enough for him to run on. He looked at the Elevator and ran for it, it felt like he was running up a steep hill. But he had to keep going, he couldn't apparate since lockdown meant the anti-apparition charms where up. Alec quickly looked to his left and saw an elevator coming towards him.

Alec side stepped it, the edge of it ruffling the tips of his hair before running off again. He was slowly gaining ground on the elevator. It then changed course, it was now going down. Alec skidded to a stop. He had to twist his body to stop another elevator smashing into him. It just clipped his arm and he fell onto his arms.

He could see the Elevator slinking away below him. Alec looked up to see another Elevator coming towards him. Alec got to his feet and jumped, he adjusted his body mid-air. The Elevator was now moving too fast. Alec reached out and grabbed the nearest rail. His chest slammed into the rail. Alec groaned and got back onto the rail and ran again towards the elevator. He dodged another elevator and jumped to a lower rail.

He landed and saw it now moving in a straight line further up the Elevator hall. Alec ran along the rail again. The Elevator just in his sight, if he could get a little closer he could jump onto it.

Alec pushed himself a little further and Jumped. Got he hated being old. He almost flew in slow motion towards the Elevator, he reached out…he wasn't going to make it. It was too far…or was it, this wasn't the way he was going to go, and he wasn't going to let him get away. Too much was at stake.

Alec grabbed onto elevator near the top, his body smashing into the steel structure. Alec quickly scrambled to the top. He pulled his wand out and pointed it at the service hatch. It smashed open and Alec jumped inside.

Marriot's man was dazed by the hatch being opened. Alec picked him up and punched him into the wall. Alec went for another but Marriot's man ducked and Alec punched the wall. He winced slightly but turned round and kicked him into the doors. They dented as Alec went for another kick. Marriot's man rolled out of the way and Alec kicked the door open, both of them falling into the vast array of rails and Elevators.

Marriot's man grabbed Alec and they started fighting in a series of close quarters combat. For Alec it was a series of quick series blocks and counters. This guy was good, but not as good as him. As one punch came in Alec twisted the guys arm and smashed him into one of the walls. The man kicked Alec in the leg, Alec cried out as he fell to the floor. He looked up to see Marriot's man look back at him and jump out of the doors.

Alec got to his feet and looked over to see him standing on a rail. Alec jumped and landed on the same rail, he did a forward roll and turned to face him. He looked surprised to see Alec and turned to see where he could run. He slowly turned to face Alec, realising that he would have to fight again. Alec roared and ran towards him, he grunted and did the same.

He went for the first punch, Alec dodged and elbowed him in the ribs. The man turned and kicked Alec so he skidded along the rail.

"Expelliamus!" the red light flew towards Alec.

"Protego!" the red shield erupted from Alec's wand and smashed the spell away.

"Reducto!" a blue and white pulse flew from the tip and smacked into Marriot's man sending him spinning backwards along the rail.

"Roparo!" rope sprang from Alec's wand to try and catch him. The man turned and slashed the rope with his own wand and got to his feet and went to run across the rail. Alec gave chase, they both had to dodge an oncoming elevator. Alec caught up and ruby tackled him over the side. Alec punched him again and kicked him down.

"Roparo!" the lasso shot out and snared its targets foot. With a burst of strength, Alec swung him round and smashed him into a rail. The force of it made the rail snap in two, Alec landed on another rail while Marriot's man was now unconscious suspended from mid-air.

The elevators grounded to a halt, finally thought Alec. He sat down on the rail with his back up against the wall with his right leg hanging over the side of the rail. He looked up at the hall of elevators and rails and winced at a pain in his shoulder. He unhooked the rope from his wand and tied it to the rail. HE winced again and rubbed his chest while breathing deeply.

He really was getting old now. He opened his eyes again and they travelled around the hall. He really needed to get this guy out now. He grunted as he got to his feet and walked over towards the unconscious man hanging upside down.

"Lucky old bugger." He muttered to himself. He took a razor disc from his coat and threw it at the rope. It snapped and the guy fell onto the rail below him with a sickening crunch.

* * *

"So he just ran off with after him?" asked Marriot. "He would die inside the Elevator hall."

"You don't know Alec Potter." Said Parks. "He'll catch him."

"I can't believe it." Said Marriot. "I knew Thompson for over twenty years, he served in Normandy together, and he told me everything."

"Evidently not." Said Parks. "So Alec wasn't kidding when he said these people have people everywhere."

"And he never failed a lie detector charm." Said Marriot, "I don't believe it."

"You have much bigger problems to deal with now." Said Parks, "I wouldn't let this cloud your judgement for too long."

"What do you mean?" asked Marriot sceptically.

"You have a full scale terrorist alert." Said Parks as he turned to face Marriot. "If I were you, I put every resource into finding this guy before he turns more people against muggleborns."

"It won't get that far." Said Marriot. "This guy will be easy to find, he sounds like a pureblood supremacist, there are only a few places in the country where he could be."

"I hope your right, for all our sakes." Said Parks.

PING

The elevator doors opened but no elevator, only the view of the stationary elevator hall.

"Is this a joke?" asked Marriot, "That is supposed to be in lock down!" As he finished, the huge hand of Alec Potter grabbed onto the flooring. He then pulled himself up with Thompson on his back, tied up with rope. Alec pulled himself up onto the floor and flipped Thompson onto the floor.

"He's all yours." He said breathlessly.

"You ok Alec?" asked Parks.

"Fine." Said Alec. As he finished, he slumped down onto one knee.

"Alec!" Parks helped him to his feet. "You're going to the infirmary." Said Parks, "No exceptions. What's wrong with…you." Parks pulled back Alec's coat and saw blood seeping from two wounds on his chest.

"Always playing the hero." Said Parks.

"It's what I do." Said Alec quietly. And with that, his world went black.

* * *

Alec opened his eyes slowly, wherever this place was, it was white, but very blurry. He blinked slowly and looked up at the blurry white again. On the second feel he felt a hand squeeze his. He turned his head and saw the outline of blurry red hair. Alec smirked and relaxed into the soft bedding.

"Hey you." The next thing he felt was a sharp smack to his upper arm. "AWW!"

"I told you not to rip your stitching." Said Katherine now folding her arms across her chest.

"Duty called." Said Alec now sitting up. Katherine moved the bed up with her wand so Alec could sit back easily. "Bloody hectic there."

"So I've heard." Said Katherine now stroking his hair.

"Where am I exactly?" asked Alec.

"St Mungo's" said Katherine. "I don't trust American healers."

"What about that guy?"

"What guy?" asked Katherine?

"The guy I caught in the elevator shafts." Elaborated Alec. "The one that made me lose my stitching.

"Oh, Thompson, yeah, he's caught and in Azkaban." Said Katherine.

"Thompson." Said Alec. "That's his name?" Katherine nodded, Alec started to get up but Katherine pushed him back down.

"You're not going anywhere." She said, "Not until you've had a full check over." Alec gripped his fists in frustration.

"Kath, you only do that with James. Not me!" he said.

"And since you passed out and nearly died I've decided to take the same stance with you now Potter Senior." She retorted, she got to her feet. "I'll go let them know you're awake." She kissed him on the forehead and walked out of the room. Alec thought again about making a beeline for the door again, but he really didn't want to risk her wrath. Maybe he should talk to Tim. See what the muggles know about this guy.

"Ah, Mister Potter, you're awake." The healer came and lit up the end of his wand and shone it into his eyes.

"You should of sort medical attention." He said. "You suffered huge internal bleeding in your abdominals."

"I had to." Said Alec.

"Well, you're not a young recruit anymore." The healer said. "Your healing time will be significantly longer if you keep pushing yourself like this." Alec grunted. "I know you don't like it, but you're going to need to rest up a bit after this." Alec looked over at Katherine who had a passive look on her face.

"No strenuous physical activity for three months."

"Three months!" said Alec.

"Afterwards you can go and hurl yourself into any stupid dangerous thing you can think off." Said the healer. "In the meantime though. You must rest or your body might never recover, especially at your age."

"At my age?" said Alec.

"Yeah." Said The Healer writing something down on his chart. "You need to rest, I'll check on you again in a few hours." He walked out of the room.

"I hope you listened to him." Said Katherine, "Three months, off! No excuses. I've already talked it through with Stanford and he agrees as well."

"Damn." Muttered Alec under his breath.

"Knock, knock." James's head then poked around the door. "Hey dad, how you feeling." Alec genuinely smiled.

"Felt better mate." He said as James sat in the chair next to his bed.

"I wish I'd gone to The Institute now." Said James, "Sounds much funner than waiting round the hotel room."

"Wasn't that great." Said Alec. "Not as fun as the oil rig."

"Alec!" Said Katherine, "Don't encourage him, and James, we've already said that was a stupid thing of you to do." Both James and Alec shook their heads and went back to the conversation.

"So did you really fight him in the elevator hall?" asked James.

"Sure did." Said Alec. "Had to run on the rails that move them around to try and catch him."

"Didn't you fall off?" Alec laughed.

"No." he said, "No, it was more trying to dodge other elevators than falling off the rails."

Katherine smiled and got up slowly and decided to leave them to it. She was never really going to change James's opinion of his dad, a daredevil who he was born to succeed. She didn't really want that life for James, but from a very early age she knew it was an already lost battle.

"How's he doing?" Katherine turned to see Stanford coming towards her.

"He's good." Said Katherine. "Just a few scrapes, but he'll be out of commission for three months."

"That's a shame." Said Stanford, "I was hoping he'd get back on this Leviathan case quickly." Katherine looked over at him uneasily.

"I won't have him rushed back." Said Katherine. "We both know he's coming to the end of his career as a service agent. I at least want someone to spend it with him alive."

"He's a valuable commodity." Said Parks. "The Americans are immensely jealous of him."

"Buttering me up won't change my stance." Said Katherine. "I've already lost one close member of my family and I won't lose another. What happened in July was to close." Parks nodded.

"I understand Kath, really, I do." He said. "When they said Izzy might be missing I feared the worst. I was almost grateful it was someone else's daughter who was captured." He turned to her.

"But I still need him." He said, "Maybe not for missions at the moment but for…consultancy." Katherine raised her eyebrow.

"Think about it." He said. "Is he in there? I need to debrief him about the situation." Katherine nodded and Parks walked into the room.

"Yeah mate, straight into the beam itself." Said Alec, he looked up and saw Parks.

"Hello Alec." He said, "James."

"Stanford." Said Alec. "I would call you sir but I guess I'm still suspended." Parks smiled.

"Jane is taking a case to the court." He said, "But since she has no witness I'm sure it'll get thrown out. I'm here to debrief you about Thompson."

"The assassin."

"The same." Parks looked over at James. "Maybe this is something we should discuss in private." Alec looked over at James and back at Parks.

"No. James Stays." He said. "Now, regale me."

"He hasn't spoken a word." Said Parks. "This Thompson, he hasn't said a damn word since he woke up."

"So what does he do in his cell?"

"Eat and Meditate." Said Parks.

"Have you tried veritisuerum?" asked Alec.

"Yes, but he's very strong willed against it, it would take an illegal concentration to get him to open up." Alec ran a hand through his hair before chucking.

"Be great if I could talk to him." Said Alec, "But I'm stuck here."

"I have to go." Said Parks, "That girl's autopsy was done here and I need to get the results. Rest easy." With that Parks walked out of the room. Alec looked around, his eyes then fell on a wheelchair that was in the corner of the room. His eyes then flickered towards James and his mouth curled into a smile.

"Do you fancy seeing a dead body?"

"Ok, left here." James quickly turned the wheelchair down the corridor. He silently pushed his father along. "Ok, stop here." James stopped and turned the wheelchair so it was facing the door.

"What if mum finds out about this?" asked James opening the door.

"Then she'll have my head." Said Alec as James returned to push him through the door. The room was pitch black and James couldn't see in front of him. "There should be a light switch on the left."

James ran his hand along the side of the room till he found the switch and flicked it. Big ceiling lights came on with a groan lighting up a fairly large room with a mortuary table in the middle with body boxes on the side of the room.

"Ok, so who are we looking for?" asked James.

"Where looking for a Jane Doe." Said Alec wheeling himself the table. He pulled out his wand from his hospital robes and lowered the table.

"Found her." Said James. "Jane Doe, arrived seventeenth of August."

"That's the one." Said Alec as James opened the door. With a flick of his wand he was able to levitate the black body bag out of the compartment and lower it onto the table. Alec hoisted himself up.

"Maybe you shouldn't get up dad." Said James.

"I'm fine James." Said Alec, James joined him at the table as Alec pulled down the zip to reveal the body. Alec sighed at the lifeless form in front of him, he almost felt like he failed her. But he couldn't think about that now.

"Who was she?" asked James. Alec took a deep breath.

"She was the one who set the bomb off." Said Alec. "She was murdered by a man from The Institute."

"The one you caught?" Alec nodded.

"Over there, there should be a report on her." Said Alec. James walked over to a table with big pile of files on them. As James searched through them Alec inspected the body.

He pulled back some of her hair to show bruises around her neck. Strange, thought Alec, why would Thompson strangle her? Alec positioned his hands round her throat. With an entire array of spells at his disposal, why did he use his hands? Maybe it was a personal killing, one of passion maybe?

"Here it is." Said James. He handed it over to Alec who opened it, his eyes quickly flicked up at James who looked blankly at the body in front of him. Maybe it sounded very cool in his head to see a dead body, but now he was here, Alec couldn't help but think he did it just to try and impress him.

"So…how did she…die?" asked James, his eyes never leaving hers.

"She was strangled." Said Alec, the report confirming his theory. "Though she put up a fight."

"How can you tell?" asked James. Alec beckoned with his hand and James walked round the table to see.

"See the broken nails?" Alec pointed to them, James leaned over curiously. "She put up a fight, trying to through him off her. Alec replayed the scenario in his head, Bella would have dug her nails into Thompsons forearms.

"That would have made a sound." Said James. Alec nodded in agreement and looked back through the file.

"So…"

"So what?" asked James.

"What charm did he use, James?"

"A silencing charm."

"Very good." Said Alec. He noticed some bruising on her back. Alec cocked his head and moved her body over to reveal a big bruise on her back.

"Hmmm." He could feel James looking over at them to.

"What are they from?"

"I'm not sure." Said Alec. Why would there be a bruise on her back. Alec thought back to the crime of passion theory, maybe they knew each other, maybe they were closer than the average employee.

"He could have caused them." Said Alec.

"That Thompson. Why?"

"Ever heard of a crime of passion?" Asked Alec, James shook his head.

"They knew each other." Said Alec, "He loved her."

"So why kill her?" asked James. "Surely he would have saved her instead of killing her."

"Devotion to the cause can make men do stupid things." Said Alec. "They must have talked first."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because there was a good twenty minute gap." Explained Alec. "From when I left the room and when I saw him leave."

"So what did they talk about?" asked James.

"The only way would be to extract this guy's memories." Said Alec. "But she must have said something that he didn't agree with." Alec walked around the table, his face studying the corpse.

"He walked into the room and placed a charm on the door to stop the conversation from being heard." Alec pictured the door closing behind Thompson. "The conversation took a bad turn. He got angry." Thompson picked up Bella across the table and she hit her shins on the metal table. Alec looked down at her shins and saw bruises on her legs. "More things were said." Explained Alec, his mind mapping out the crime scene. "He then threw her across the room." He pictured Thompson throwing Bella across the room, her back hitting the table.

"Explains the bruises on her back." Said James.

"She was then strangled." Said Alec. Alec ran his fingers over the bruises on her neck.

"And the smashed onto the floor." Alec looked at James with a raised eyebrow.

"Ok…how did you figure that out?" asked Alec. James lifted her head and showed him a blunt force trauma hit on the back of her head.

"Fits the crime of passion theory." Said Alec. He looked down her arms and saw small needle marks along her arms.

"What are they?" asked Alec. He consulted the toxicology report. "No signs of drugs in her system." James was now looking at the marks. He ran his fingers over the small marks on the inside of her elbow.

"What are they?" asked James.

"Collapsed veins." Said Alec running a finger over it. "It's what happens when opiates are injected into the blood stream too much."

"Dad, I need to tell you something."

"Go ahead?"

"You know that Marriot?"

"Yes, what about him?" asked Alec.

"I saw him while I was in America." Said James. "Before the bombing." Alec looked up at James.

"Where?"

"Me and Leanne went to the San Andreas Grand Prix." Alec shook his head.

"And you entered a race, didn't you." Alec finished for him. "Maybe he likes the sport."

"Well, you see…" James ruffled his hair. Alec knew he was nervous now. "I was kinda…attacked-"

"WHAT!"

"-during a race." James said.

"By who!"

"Some guy from the MfW." Said James now pulling a face. Alec shook his head in disbelief.

"And when where you going to tell me this?" He asked.

"I was going tell you when I saw you in The Boulevard." Said James. "But…you know…"

"We'll talk about that later. In the mean time I need to get this body to the Auror unit and have our guys take a look. I'm surprised she wasn't taken there in the first place."

"But, mum said you weren't allowed to work for three months." Said James.

"In the field." Corrected Alec. He winced and slumped slightly.

"Dad!" James helped him back into the wheel chair.

"Maybe she meant three months of complete rest." Said James, Alec breathed deeply.

"Let's clear up and get out before someone finds us in here." Alec slipped the report underneath his gown and placed the body back. James then wheeled him out.

"You do realise that your mother can't know about this." Said Alec as James closed the door behind them.

"Ok." Said James wheeling Alec away, "Then she can't know about what happened at the Grand Prix. Deal?"

"…Touché."

"Learnt from the best." Said James as he skidded round the corner. "Wonder how Uncle Tim would react to that."

"It wouldn't really surprise me if he did." Said Alec as they got back to the room.

"There you are." Said Katherine as they entered the room. "Where have you been, your dinners there."

"James just took me out for a stroll." Said Alec as he transferred into the bed. "Had a bit of father son bonding."

"Yeah, practice for a couple of years' time." Said James sitting down in the chair himself.

"Cheeky shit."

"Alec!"

Both smirked at one another.


	9. Chapter 9

Lily had remained very quiet over the last week. Although no one at the party knew it was her that had blown the lighting and the cake, her parents knew. Her mum had tried to put on a brave face but Lily knew deep down that she was disappointed in her. That's why most of the time she spent up in her room or out with Sev.

"You could always come to Diagon Alley with me." He said,

"I could do." Replied Lily miserably.

"You could sound a little more enthusiastic." Said Sev.

"I just wish that my parents wouldn't act like I'd done some awful crime." Said Lily, "I haven't done anything that bad." Lily hugged her knees.

"Well you're just finding out." Said Sev. "At least you haven't lived your whole life as a disappointment."

"I didn't mean it like that." Said Lily wearily. She got to her feet and brushed off the leaves from her dress.

"I'm going home." Said Lily, "I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

"Is that a yes to Diagon Alley?" asked Sev hopefully.

"I'll tell you tomorrow." Said Lily walking away. Lily got to the edge of the forest and looked down towards home, she sighed sadly. Did she really want to go home and sit in her bedroom? No, she decided she didn't. No matter how many times she apologised or her parents said they accepted it the atmosphere was still tense. Lily turned the other way, at least this way she would be at a place she would be welcomed.

She knocked on the door of the old house and saw her granddads face in the door way.

"Hey squirt." He said hugging her, "What brings you to my neck of the woods."

"I just wanted to see you." Said Lily walking in after him.

"You've been here every day for the last week." Said Martin as he walked into the kitchen and putting the kettle on. "Something tells me you don't want to go home."

"I like being here." Said Lily,

"Yeah, but not that much." Said Martin getting down the green tin and handing it to his granddaughter. "Is this about what happened at the country club?" Lily didn't look up. Martin sighed.

"I've told them I'm sorry but they still don't seem to of accepted it." Said Lily. "There's always tension and I hate it."

"I'm sure they don't mean to be like that squirt." He said placing her tea in front of her. Lily placed her hands around the mug gratefully.

"Thanks Granddad." She said taking a sip. "I don't know what I want more. Everyone being a witch or wizard, or for me to be normal."

"Well being a witch is what makes you, you." Said Martin. Lily shrugged and began to pick at the bourbon biscuit that she was eating.

"This has been tougher than Christmas and Easter." Said Lily.

"How do you mean?" asked Martin.

"I didn't do anything that Magical when I was at home last time." Explained Lily. "But over the summer…"

"Have you been able to do magic without your wand?" asked Martin.

"Little spells." Said Lily, "But nothing big."

"Define big." asked Martin, "Because these little spells could be the triggers for you doing what you did at your party."

Lily hadn't thought of that. Maybe if being able to turn lights off with a single thought and unlocking doors with a glance then she was more susceptible to having these outbursts.

"Lily, you need to stop doing magic while you're at home, I know you can control these small things, so control them." Lily remained quiet. "Because then when your sister tries to wind you up then you can control it rather than letting it loose." Again, Lily remained quiet looking down at the mug of tea she was holding.

"So, when do you have to go get your new school books?" asked Martin, sensing that he needed to change the subject.

"Before September 1st." said Lily. "Though I don't know how I'm going to get there."

"Your parents will give you a lift there squirt." Said Martin.

"What if they don't?" asked Lily.

"You're worrying about this way too much." Said Martin placing an arm round her shoulder. "Look, remember what we talked about earlier. About stopping these little bits of magic." Lily let out a frustrated huff.

"I've tried but nothing works!" said Lily getting up abruptly. "It seems like everything I do with this power only hurts me and makes people disappointed in me!" said Lily breathing heavily. "I wish I never had this power!"

"You say that." Said Martin. "But would you really give up your new world."

"If it meant that I didn't have these feelings then yes." Said Lily. To her surprise, her granddad was laughing. She cocked an eyebrow at him questioningly at him, waiting for his response.

"Squirt." He said. "You may not appreciate this now, but you will when you're older you will realise that having two worlds are better than one."

"I sincerely hope not." Said Lily. "It seems like too much like hard work to try and keep two sets of people happy."

"You're still young and that's your fault." Said Martin. "But one day you'll appreciate it."

"If you say so." Said Lily unconvinced as she drank from her mug. "So what have you been up to?"

"Oh just the usual." Said Martin, "Bowles and the reading club. I also had a meet up with the people from my old army division."

"How was that?"

"It was good." Said Martin sitting down in his chair. "Reliving all the old stories from the wars."

"Did you tell them about seeing detective Potter again?" asked Lily.

"Heh, no." he said. "No I did not."

"Why not?"

"Male pride is something you'll never understand squirt." He said with a wry smile.

"But wouldn't your old friends want to know?" asked Lily.

"We all thought the same of him." said Martin. "It seems like he's grown up a bit since then."

"He's a very nice man." Said Lily, "But I think he's in a bit of trouble."

"Trouble?"

"Though I doubt it." said Lily dismissively. "He seems like he can do anything."

"That definitely sounds like him." said Martin.

Lily cocked her head.

"What was he like?" Martin smiled warmly.

"He thought he was some big shot detective who, as you pointed out, could do anything. And to be fair to him, he could. Squirt you should have seen him. Pulling off all sorts of moves that I never knew existed like they were second nature. A brain that new everything before you could think of it and weapons that still make the mind boggle at how they work."

"He sounds incredible." Said Lily.

"And the strange part was he did it all with a smile on his face." Said Martin now frowning. "I've seen Special Forces, and he was the only one who smiled doing his work."

"He doesn't so much now." said Lily thoughtfully.

"His son was being tortured." Said Martin "I doubt there would be much smiling."

"His son's similar." Martin laughed.

"All boys laugh in the face of danger." He said. "But trust me, they get more scared about the small things. Like the elephant that's scared of the mouse." Lily now laughed.

"I doubt Potter would be scared of anything." Said Lily.

"You'd be surprised." Said Martin.

* * *

Lavender was looking outside at Lily was sitting dejectedly on the grass in the back garden. She had hoped she could help Lily with this latest crisis of confidence but she was disappointed in her after what happened at the country club.

"Hey Lav, girls, I'm home." John came into the kitchen and saw Lavender. He walked over and wrapped his arms round her middle. He looked out on the kitchen window and saw Lily.

"She could do with a talk rather than being stared at." Said John. Lavender sighed.

"I know…" she said. "But I don't what to say to her what I haven't said already. It'll be repeating myself." Lavender shook her head.

"I just wish she didn't let Petunia wind her up so much."

"Nobody else knew it was her though." Said John.

"But we do." Said Lavender. "We know, and we know she can control it." The back door opened and Lily stepped inside. She looked up at her parents briefly before going quickly upstairs.

"What do we do with her?" Lavender asked. "It's not like I can enforce a punishment on her because she's going to be gone before I know it and I want her to enjoy her time at home."

"I'll have a chat with her when I take her school shopping." Said John.

"I can't wait. I'm talking to her now." said Lavender making her way to Lily's room. She walked up the stairs and opened Lily's door.

Lily was sitting by her dressing table with something in her hand. When Lavender walked in she placed it back frantically on the dressing table and rearranged her hair.

"Hey, mum." She said, trying to sound cheerful, but ultimately still hurting.

"Hey Sweetpea." Lavender said smiling and kneeled down next to her. Lily looked at her strangely.

"Do you need something?"

"No." Lavender said bringing her hand up and stroking the side of Lily's face. "I'm just…really glad your home." Lily looked down.

"Even if I do blow up conventions?" asked Lily darkly.

"Lily." Lily turned away fully. "Lily, look at me." Lily huffed and then turned, clearly turning into a teenager.

"I love you, you know that right." Said Lavender.

"Yeah, I know." Lily said quietly. "I'm sorry about what happened."

"I know you are." Said Lavender. "But please…" She was about to say don't do it again, but looking at how sad Lily was looking, she knew not to do it again.

"…please don't be so mopey when your home." Said Lavender. "I like you when you're happy and chirpy." Lily smiled and laughed lightly.

"I try to be." She said.

"What where you looking at? Asked Lavender.

"Just a photo of my friends." Lily said a little quickly. "It seems like it's going to be ages before I go back to school."

"It won't be that long." Said Lavender. "You are going to get your school books tomorrow."

"Yeah…" she said distantly.

"I thought you'd be a bit more excited." Said Lavender. Lily looked away.

"I'm just….I don't know what to say to dad." said Lily. "I messed up his big night, he probably hates me."

"He does not hate you." said Lavender. "It's a long drive to London from here. You should talk to him about it."

"And say what?"

"You'd be surprised how naturally these things come." Said Lavender getting and kissing her daughters hair.

* * *

The next day, Lily rose early. She got in the car with her dad and he began the long drive to London.

Lily knew it was going to be a long drive, it would probably feel longer than the week after the incident at the county club if she didn't play it right. She just had to get everything off her chest. They then hit the motorway.

She looked at a laughing family in the car next to her, two daughters, both blonde haired laughing and joking together. Why couldn't that be more like herself and Tuney?

"The crisis in Romania deepens as the tuberculosis infection has now spread to more densely populated areas. The British Government has pledged its support on the ongoing matter, the worse disaster in the region since before the First World War."

"I'm sorry dad." Said Lily. The car remained quiet and Lily didn't dare look over at him. "I let it get the better of me, I'm sorry I ruined you big night." John sighed and turned the radio off.

"Lily, I'm not angry with you." He said. "And neither is your mother for that matter, were not angry, we know that sometimes you can't control your magic but…" He bit his lip.

"Where not angry, but were disappointed." Lily felt her stomach drop, it felt worse than thinking that they were angry at her. She should of just kept her mouth shut and wallow in her own misery and wait till she went back to school, god what was she thinking.

"I'm disappointed at the fact that you are such a smart girl, a very smart girl, and yet you still allow yourself to be wound up so easily by your sister in the easiest way." John looked over at Lily.

"I saw you and your sister talking beforehand." He continued, "And I could tell from the look on your face that she was purposely winding you up."

"How could you tell?" asked Lily.

"Because your mother looks the same way." He said smiling at her. "And I know from experience that she can let her temper get the better of her to, even though she is very smart like you."

"She doesn't make things blow up when she does."

"True." Said John, "Though you didn't see her when we found out you'd been kidnapped. I thought she would bring that castle down."

"But no one knows what it's like though." Said Lily, "To try and keep a lid on every little thing in case you do something strange, or weird." Lily slumped against the window looking at the cars beside them.

"I told granddad that I wish I was normal. But…I guess I'll never be normal."

"You shouldn't focus on how your magic makes you different." Said John, "You should focus on how it makes you unique." Lily looked up confused at her dad.

"How?"

"When I was eleven I went to school in Croydon by bus every day for almost five years." He said. "I learnt English, maths, science and Electronics, and used to have to carry a pen knife with me for protection. You, on the other hand, go to school at a magic castle, and will for nearly seven years, you learn subjects like potions, transfiguration, and herbology and you carry around a wand that can do anything you can dream off. And I know there are pitfalls, there are in any world, especially for you since you have to come back to the miggle-"

"Muggle." Said Lily smiling and shaking her head.

"See, muggle world, where you have to act differently to blend in while your friends I presume if they do something like you did at the country club it can be laughed off." Lily nodded, it certainly felt that way.

"But for you it's more dangerous, we were warned about revealing your powers to people." Lily turned her head to her dad, this was news to her.

"You were warned?"

"Oh yeah."

"By who?" she asked.

"Someone from your ministry." Said John, "That if we reveal that you were a witch to anyone then you would be pulled out." Lily looked back in front of her. She closed her eyes in frustration, there her parents were trying to keep her secret and there she was blowing up light bulbs because she was being teased by her sister.

"So we know it's difficult for you, but do realise that it puts a strain on all of us as well. We don't like lying to our family and friends about why you go to private school and Petunia doesn't." Lily remained quiet. Maybe she had been a little selfish in her own problems.

"I'm sorry." She said again.

"You have nothing to apologise for." Said John. "Besides, I don't want us to be moody with each other when we go shopping."

"I wasn't being moody." Said Lily.

"You're a teenager." Said John, "You're always moody."

"Not yet." Said Lily.

"Well, not far off." Said John, "I just hope yours are smoother than your sisters." Lily smirked to herself and looked out the window again.

* * *

"Right, so mum said that there's a pub here?" Said John looking at the street. "I can't see it." Lily laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Only witches and wizards can." She explained, "Otherwise, anyone could just walk in and find it."

"Sounds quite smart." Said John. Lily took his hand and led him over to the black pub and walked through the door. As they walked in her dad shivered.

"You ok?" asked Lily.

"Yeah." Said John, "Just feels weird, like your about to walk into a brick wall." Lily laughed and threaded her arm through his. They walked out to the back and Lily tapped the brick above the bin and it began to fold back to reveal the alley.

"Ok, I'm impressed." Said John. "So…where do we start?" Lily thought for a second before consulting her list.

"Well…I suppose we need money." Said Lily.

"And where do we get that?"

"Gringots." Said Lily peering towards the back of the alley.

"You don't look like you want to go."

"It's run by goblins." Said Lily as they began to walk down. She looked over at her dad's face that looked disbelieving.

"Goblins?"

"Yes dad, goblins." Said Lily, "Vicious little things apparently."

"And yet they run the bank?"

"What, and they don't in the muggle world?"

"Touché." Said John as the ascended the steps inside.

After converting some money they walked out again onto the street, Lily saw the wonder in her dads face, and she'd noticed it first with her mum.

"Right, now we have money, what else?"

"I need some books." Said Lily, her mum was stringent when it came to taking her to the book store, maybe her dad would be more lenient.

"Ok, lead the way." Lily led her dad over towards Flourish and Blotts. Lily looked over at the advanced book display, a new book by an Author Lily didn't recognise was on display. He looked old, he had on old face that was laughing on the front of the book.

"I wonder who he is?" asked John looking at it.

"I don't know." Said Lily, "But he must be very popular if he's written a book."

"I guess you don't need that book."

"Are you going to get it?" asked Lily.

"Why would I want to get it?" asked John.

"It's about sport." Said Lily looking at the book more closely. "The Memoirs of Legendary Quidditch coach Eddie McGuiness, former head coach of Puddlemere United." Puddlemere, why did that name sound so familiar?

"I don't know a thing about…quid-itch?"

"You got it right." Said Lily. "It's a really intense game."

"Can you play?" asked John.

"I've never tried." Said Lily, "Besides I'd need a broom stick for that and I'm hopeless at flying."

"You weren't that bad." Lily turned to the sound of the voice and saw Potter standing behind her. She felt her nostril flare at his presence, especially with a complement as well.

"Potter." She said flicking her hair back and turning back to the window.

"Lily, don't be so cold." Said John.

"Teenage girls will always be like that." Alec Potter hobbled next to his son.

"Alec, nice to see you." The two men shook hands. "Looks like the table have turned, last time it was James who was the one hobbling around." Alec chuckled.

"Yeah, I had an impromptu mission in America." He said, "Got a little more than I bargained for."

"So are you doing your school shopping?" asked John to James.

"I just need to get my books." He said, ruffling his hair, why does he do that asked Lily to herself. "I got most of my other stuff in America."

Lily rolled her eyes, where they still talking, why couldn't they just leave the arrogant and bullying toerag to his own devices and get on with going into the book store so she could buy some new reading material.

"Well thankfully after the drama of last year we've had a relatively quiet summer." Said John. "Haven't we Lily."

"The quietest." Said Lily not turning back round. Still staring at the photo of Eddie McGuiness.

"I didn't know you were a fan of Quidditch." Said Potter now standing next to her. Lily looked over her shoulder slightly and looked back at the book.

"I'm not." She said, "My dad was thinking about buying it."

"Well he has good taste then."

"Don't try and butter me up."

"I'm not, I'm a Puddlemere fan." That's where it was familiar.

"So let me guess, you've already read it cover to cover and back again."

"No, I was actually buying it today. And what about you, what's tickling your interest?"

"Cryptozoology." Said Lily turning to face him. "But, you have no idea what that means." She finished looking back.

"The study of mythical monsters. Like Bigfoot, Dracula and Frankenstein." He said, Lily turned back to face him with a curious look on her face. "It means you like things that go 'bump' in the night."

"Well I'm impressed Potter." She said. "And here I was thinking you were some arrogant toerag who kisses himself in the mirror." Potter chuckled.

"Well…not only." Lily began to laugh, she hadn't expected him to say that.

"She laughs." He said with a hint of amusement in his voice, "And there I was thinking you were too stuck up to laugh."

"Well…it was funny." She admitted.

"Come on Lily do you want to go inside?" Lily was snapped out of her ravine by her dad.

"Yeah, coming now." She said. "I guess I'll see you at school Potter. Do mind your head when get on the train, wouldn't want you to bang you overinflated ego getting on."

"Heh, I'll try my best." Said Potter, "You just be careful about sitting down." He started to walk away with his dad, leaving Lily confused.

"Why should I worry about that?" asked Lily.

"Wouldn't want that stick on to go further up your arse." He said not looking back at her. Despite the crude comment Lily smiled to herself and shook her head. The boy had an answer to everything.

"Lily, are you coming in?" asked John.

"Yeah." She said watching Potter walk away. She smiled to herself and followed her dad into the book shop.

"What are you smirking at?" he asked.

"Nothing." Said Lily, trying to stay passive as she walked past. John looked back at Alec and James and then back at Lily.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain Potter would it?" Asked John.

"No, nothing at all." Said Lily curtly, "It's just that where in my favourite shop of all time." John smiled.

"Ok." He said. "So what was that book you wanted?"

"Cryptozoology." Said Lily, "So books about Dracula and other supposed mythical creatures."

"Yeah…supposed." Said Lily as she browsed the titles.

"Your mother warned me that you'd do this."

"Do what?" asked Lily.

"Browse this place." Said John, "School books first, and then you can browse."

"Dad!"

"No, I know you love your books but." He handed her, her school list. "These first." Lily snatched the list away from him and began to mutter something.

"What was that Lily?"

"Nothing dad." Said Lily as she browsed the school shelves and picked off some books. Standard book of spells grade two, the dark forces: a guide to self-protection, and last but not least the complete biography of Professor Gabriel Van Helsing. Lily walked back to her dad while studying the back of her new books. John couldn't help but smile, it reminded him when Lavender used to work in a book shop in London when they were younger.

"Is that all of them?" he asked taking them from her.

"Yeah." Said Lily, "Apparently I'll need more next year when I choose my options."

"The Biography of Van Helsing." Said John, "He's a made up character."

"No, he's very real." Said Lily looking at the back of the cover to. "He created the Auror's, and was the first man to stop Dracula from killing innocents."

"Really." Said John. "I might read this after you're done with that."

"Soooo, can I get some books please!" Lily asked spinning round.

"Four, ok." Lily beamed and hugged her dad before scampering of to find some reading material.

It was like looking into a time machine, watching her picking out her books. Once again, it was like watching Lavender in her youth. Lily bit her lip and picked a book out, she studied the back and then placed it under her arm before going back to the wall. All too soon she disappeared from sight. John sighed and waited while Lily picked out her remaining books.

"There are worse things for her to love."

"Your daughter likes her books." John turned to the young shop assistant who smiled at him. "I remember her last year, she drove your wife insane by trying to get more books." John smiled.

"That sounds like her." Said John. "She loves her books, I night need to build her another book case."

"I think you'll be dad of the year." The assistant said. With that Lily came round the corner with four book stacked on top of each other.

"Just some light reading." Said Lily heaving them onto the desk. "I ran out last year quite quickly."

"Well let's see what you've got." John looked through the titles as the woman totted the price up.

 _The Elemental Armours: Where are they now?_

 _Dracula: Friend or foe?_

 _A thousand and one useful charms for the modern teenage witch._

 _The Adventures of Jonathan Croak: Chaos at Earths Core._

"The Jonathan Croak books are very good." The assistant said nodding. "You're getting into a good series there."

"Thanks." Said Lily excitedly, "I can't wait to read these when I get home."

"I don't think so young lady." Said John, "Not until you go to school." He picked the books up from the counter.

"Dad!"

"No." he said. "Now come on, we still have to get your potions ingredients."

"Thank you." He and Lily walked out into the street.

* * *

"Where are you going?" asked Petunia.

"I'm going to a friend's house for a beer." Said John putting his coat on. "Lily's out with her friend. So it's you and your mother."

"Where is this friend's house?" asked Petunia.

"You know, I have no idea." Said John with a slight chuckle. Petunia looked on perplexed.

"So how are you getting there?"

"He's picking me up." Said John.

"Who is he?"

"The man who saved your sister from the maniac a couple of months ago."

"What?" asked Petunia shortly.

"Yeah, Alec Potter." Said John.

"So, you're hanging out with one of those freaks." Said Petunia. John turned to face his eldest.

"I don't get what is with everyone in this family wanting to be all magical!" she shouted, "We were all fine until that woman came saying that Lily was a freak! Now everyone wants to be in on it!" Petunia ran from the kitchen and slammed her door shut upstairs.

A moment later Lavender walked into the kitchen. "Was that Petunia?" John nodded.

"What happened?"

"I told her I was going to see Alec Potter. And then she went into some rant about how everyone in this family wanted to be magical."

"She's become very explosive over the summer." Said Lavender. She leaned against the sink and sighed.

"Well maybe we should-" John was disrupted by a knock on the door.

"That'll be Alec." Said John. "I'll see you later, and we talk about Petunia." Lavender nodded and smiled.

"Have fun." She said leaning over and kissing him. "And not too much to drink ok."

"You know me." He said pecking her lips and walked towards the door. Lavender smiled and shook her head as he closed the door.

"There you are." Said Alec, "Come on, we need to get somewhere were people won't see us."

"That sounds a bit ominous." Said John as Alec led the way.

"You'll see why." Said Alec. He looked around until he saw a small alley.

"Perfect." He walked with John into the Alley and held out his hand. John looked down at it with an appalled expression. Alec rolled his eyes.

"There needs to be contact or we can't apparate." He said. John looked down and gingerly took his hand.

"And keep your mouth shut to."

"Why?"

"Most people throw up the first time."

"What!" With a flash of blue light they were gone.

The next thing John saw was a big farmhouse, and the next thing he felt was vomit in his mouth.

"See, not so bad." Said Alec.

"Easy for you to say." Said John.

"Trust me, a cold one will set you right." Said Alec as he hobbled up towards the house. He let John in and they walked into the kitchen where Katherine was making something.

"Ah, John, nice to see you again." she said warmly.

"Where's James?" asked Alec.

"He went off into the woods with his bow over an hour ago." Said Katherine. "Who knows when he'll be back." Alec shook his head.

"He does that all the time." said Alec, noting the concern on his face. "He'll be back when he's done a bit of exploring. Go outside and make yourself comfortable, I'll get our beers."

"Are you sure?" asked John.

"Positive, doctor says I need to put pressure on it to get it working." Said Alec.

John sat down in the deck chair overlooking the very impressive garden. It was one that he really wanted, one he thought if he worked hard enough he would get. A small clinking of glass bottles snapped him out of his day dream, Alec came round and handed his a bottle of beer.

"The best thing about muggles is there beer." said Alec taking a sip. "The wizarding ones are crap by comparison." John took a sip of his beer as well.

"Are they really bad then?" Alec nodded.

"There watered down so you can hardly feel anything." said Alec, "You may as well drink water. It might actually get you drunker quicker." John shrugged.

"So how's Lily getting on?" asked Alec.

"She's getting on ok." said John. "She had all her friends over for a disco and a sleep over the other day."

"Surrounded by girls, poor you." chuckled Alec. John laughed.

"I'm used to it now." he said drinking again. "But the girl talk is boring."

"This is why I'm glad I have James." said Alec. "Though Katherine says it's been the quietest two weeks of her life at home with both of us here."

"So do they give you much time off?" asked John. Alec shook his head.

"Well I'm suspended at the moment." He said.

"But you caught that Murdoch." Said John surprised, "I thought they would give you a knighthood or something." Alec laughed lightly.

"Not how it works." said Alec. "The head of internal affairs doesn't like the fact it took so long to catch him, so she's suspended me to try and get me to crack."

"Crack?" asked John confused.

"She thinks that the only reason I caught Murdoch was because James was kidnapped by him." explained Alec. "She thought the six months before that we were searching for him where a holiday."

"Anything but?" Alec nodded.

"The head of I.A, she's not of the opinion that someone like Murdoch has the resource to stay under the radar for so long."

"Has she ever met him?" Alec smirked.

"No." replied Alec. "Hence why she doesn't know what he's capable of. But the alternative could be much worse."

"That is?"

"Try and drown me in SADs." Said Alec.

"SADs?"

"Search and destroy." Said Alec. "Although now where supposed to call them search and captures, heh, old habits die hard."

"So what's going to happen to Murdoch?" asked John.

"Death." Said Alec. "We'll just have to make sure his gang doesn't try anything funny."

"Was his group that strong?" asked John.

"That I'm not sure of." Said Alec, "It's strange, this group doesn't seem to of died down."

"So have there been a lot of these groups then?" asked John.

"Some small ones that we snuff out." Said Alec, "But most of them don't get enough momentum going to be any real threat. They mostly just talk about doing things, not really doing any action."

"So was Murdoch one that got further than expected?" asked John. Alec nodded.

"It also helped that he was a psychopath." Said Alec. "He was never afraid to get things done, even in the Grindewald days, people made excuses for him being so rash."

"Was he dangerous back then?"

"Even more so." Said Alec, "He killed hundreds in the first wizarding war, in some ways…" Alec looked out at the garden before him. John could almost see Alec's life flash before his eyes.

"…He was one of the most dangerous."

"Well thank god you caught him." said John. "Are there any more like him?" Alec frowned.

"…He was the worst we knew about." Said Alec having another drink. "But now." he reclined a little in his chair. "Now I can savour today, and have a nice beer with some company."

"You don't get to do this often then?" asked John. Alec shook his head.

"No." he replied, "Usually there sending me somewhere or other. Usually to some muddy gaff in the Ukraine." John laughed and placed his beer down.

"You know; knowing that your catching all these criminals, it really makes me wonder how safe this world is, don't get me wrong, I know ours isn't perfect either."

"I know what you mean." Said Alec, "I always wonder how safe James is, but trust me when I say that Hogwarts is the best place for Lily, Dumbledore keeps that place a fortress, even team seven find it hard to get in undetected." John nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

"Come on, I have something to show you." Said Alec getting up and walking away. John walked with him to the front of the house towards what looked like a barn. But there were six big garage doors, each with a number above the top.

"These are my garages." Said Alec. "Ever since I was a teenager I've loved my cars, and I keep my pride and joys here."

"Are some of them of value?" asked John. Alec laughed and walked over to number two.

"I'll let you decide that." Said Alec opening the door. The garage was bathed in a soft orange glow from the orange sun outside that magnified the dust from when Alec opened the door. But sitting in the garage, with its bright red custom paint job was the most beautiful car John had ever seen.

"Ferrari 250 GTO." Said Alec. "Custom built, four litre V twelve engine, with five speed gear box."

"I've only ever seen pictures of these." Said John, "How did you get one?"

"Enzo Ferrari owed me a favour." Said Alec walking round it. "When I saw this at a GT race I told him I wanted one. He personally oversaw the construction of this one, so it has some features you don't find on originals."

"Like?"

"Corinthian leather seats." Said Alec, 2 "Sharper throttle response, carbon ceramic brakes, I did help him on that one."

"Carbon?" asked John. "That's impressive. How does it work?"

"Its carbon fibre reinforced with a mixture of Graphite." Said Alec. "We use the carbon fibre in our armours, so I thought that if we made it heat resistant, it would make for really solid brake disc."

"Makes sense." Said John looking round in awe of the machine. "Does have any other future toys I should know about?"

"Well, it does have a seven speed transmission gear box. Enzo loved putting that baby in." said Alec. "Has a much better top speed than the standard, one hundred and ninety one miles per hour." John was now peering inside.

"Want to go for a spin?" asked Alec. John looked up.

"Can you?"

"Yeah, sure." Alec pulled out his wand and flicked it, the keys then came swishing through the open door.

"Summoning charm." Said Alec. "You should get your daughter to learn that one." He opened the door and getting inside, he opened the passenger door and John climbed in to. Alec fired her up and the engine let out a defining roar. John's face lit up and put his seat belt on.

"Ready." John Nodded. Alec placed it in gear and sped off he took a swift left and they sped down drive and onto the road.

High in the trees James was sat watching his dad fly away in the Ferrari. He chuckled to himself and got to his feet and looked around the forest, the sun was coming and he looked down at a cut that was on his arm. He shook his head and jumped down from the branch and onto the floor.

He walked a little further into the woods, a lot of thoughts running in his head. About Leanne, about the Grand Prix, Harriet, and Evans, but most of all, he was thinking about

He walked on a little further; with his dad out showing off it would be a while before he came back.

"Shut up or we'll slit your neck right here!" James turned to the voice. The sun had now set which made it difficult to see in the forest gloom. But what the man had said was what caught James's attention.

He ran across the ground silently and climbed a tree to get a better view. After moving on for a few meters he saw a group of five men surrounding a girl. They were punks, dressed with big hair and pricings along with leather jackets and boots.

They seemed to be holding the girl hostage, she looked no older than fourteen and was sobbing as they closed the gap around her.

"What's the matter little girl." James presumed he was the leader because he was the one making the confident moves. His hair was gelled up in spikes and he had a bull ring through his nose. "Afraid?"

"Please, just leave me alone." She sobbed, "I, I haven't done anything to you."

"Oh, but just dressing like that was bound to get our attention." He said stroking her chin. "And we all know what girls want when they dress like that." The other four began laughing to.

"And here, no one can hear you scream." The girl reacted quickly, she darted through a gap and ran off into the woods.

"Looks like we got a runner!" one of them shouted. He went to go but the leader put his hand up.

"Why don't we give her a five second head start." He said. That was more than what James needed. He turned and jumped to the nearest branch, following the girl who had run off. He needed to get into a good position. He then heard them coming. James jumped from branch to branch and keeping up with the girl who was swaying from side to side.

"There she is!" Both James and the girl looked back and saw the five men at the top of a small ridge. "Come on, get her!" They caught up with her easily. The leader grabbed hold of her and placed her hands across her back.

"She's quick."

She screamed but his hand then came round over her mouth.

"Typical girls, hey lads. Always making us work for it!" The girl whimpered.

"As I told you before. In here, no one can hear you scream." She was actively crying now, the other punks came round and started to close in on her. "And good, job to, because where going to have some fun."

James had heard enough. He pulled an arrow from his quiver and took aim. He couldn't go for the hands, he might hit her as well. Same with the legs as well, had to do something fancy. He saw the bull ring. It might hurt, but James didn't really think that they would care about what happened to that poor girl.

James took a deep breath and took aim. Then fired. The arrow soared through the air, getting closer to its target.

"I hope you saved some-" The Arrow went straight through the bull ring piercing and it ripped it from his nose.

"ARGGGGGHHHHHH!" The punk flew back holding his nose as the arrow landed in a tree with the ring and half his nose on it.

"What the fuck was that!" one of them shouted.

"Isn't it obvious?" asked James loudly. He pulled his hood up and climbed up a tree to higher ground. The punks where looking around aimlessly, trying to see where the arrow had come from. James smirked to himself. If it was him in their shoes he would follow the line of sight of the arrow.

"Because everybody here knows." James stepped into their sight with an arrow already ready to fire at them.

"This is my forest!"

"Nice trick, Robin Hood." Said one of them advancing. "But leave." He pulled out a gun. "Before you get hurt!" James instantly aimed and fired. The arrow went through the guys hand and pinned him to the tree opposite.

"So, are you gonna let her go?" He pulled another arrow and pointed it them. "Or are you thirsty for more?"

"That little bastard tore off my nose!" The leader said slowly. "GET HIM!" One went towards him and pulled a knife. James fired again and it went straight through the guy's bicep, causing him to scream out in pain and drop to the floor. He went to get another one, but he was out.

"Aww, out of arrows?"

"Don't need em." Said James smacking him across the face with his bow. The last one came towards him and pulled his gun and fired. James rolled away and jumped up a tree branch where he'd pinned on of them down. The other guy stopped firing, so's not to hit his friend.

"I need to borrow this mate." Said James. He sharply pulled the arrow from out of his hand.

"AHHHH!"

"Thank you." As James landed he smacked him across the face with his bow. He then drew the arrow and fired it into another punk's shoulder which went straight through it.

"Ok punk." James turned round slowly. The guy who had half a nose was holding the girl round her neck with a gun to her head. "You run along now."

"I can't let you do that." The guy cocked his pistol and then pointed it at the girls head.

"You try anything, I'll kill her, I swear to god!" James remained still. "I'll do it." James sprang forward he knocked the gun out of his hand and smacked him with the bow across his face, he then got down quickly and kicked him to the ground.

James slowly stood up.

"Go. Get out here." He said looking over his shoulder at the girl.

"Who…who are you?" she whispered. James took a long breath out.

"Your guardian angel." He said. He turned and ran off into forest. The girl left staring at him as he ran.

 **The Marauders Proudly Present James Potter and Lily Evans In The Marauders: Year Two**

 **Chapter Nine**

 **When Evans Met Potter**

 **Written By Chambers10**

* * *

The rain lashed down against the icy fortress. The sky was a pale grey that suited the mood of the situation. High up on a balcony that lover looked the jaggered rock fields, a lonely figure stood with his hands on the balcony pane and his back hunched forward. We was tall but skin that was sheet white, long black hair tied in ponytail with a bow, and the icy icicles of rain battering his back without relent.

"It all seems so different from the last time I was awake." He said in a thick Transylvanian accent. "Humans have evolved so much from when I was taken away from them."

"Not all that change has been good."

"Change is not definable as 'good'." Dracula said pushing himself off the balcony and walking into another room. This was the old master bedroom in the manor house with a large four poster bed and a large open log fire which lighted up the old stone work of the room.

"I don't understand why you have woken me?" Dracula said turning to the hooded man in the room. "You do realise in time that I will come for you." The hooded man laughed lightly.

"Perhaps…" he said. "Call it more of a calculated risk. We both want the same thing, you and I."

"The extinction of the human race." Dracula said nodding. "Ironic really, evolution, it destroys what originally creates it. And humans somehow see themselves above it."

"Now can you see my reasoning?" The hooded man said getting up from his seat. "Does my offer still interest you?" Dracula thought for a moment.

"You wish for me to spare you, your…magicians, animals and beasts in my crusade against mankind." Dracula said. "Why should I when I have no use of you."

"Remind me again how you were going to destroy mankind with the limited resources you have?"

"Do not refer to me about resources, human!" Dracula spat. "I have an army at my disposal."

"One that you need to raise in order for it become effective." The hooded man said. "I know you tried to get the son of Frankenstein to help you, and you came close but for Teddy Stone." Dracula hissed and turned away.

"I can help you rebuild your machine." He said. "All I ask though is for something small in return." Dracula looked at him up and down.

"Walk with me." Dracula turned to the door and with a wave of his hand opened. Both men walked out together.

"And what is this small favour you ask off?"

"In the pursuit of mankind there is one man who will try to stand against all that we want to accomplish."

"Who?"

"His name is Alec Potter. He is an Auror, and although he is currently indisposed at this time he will become a huge threat if he becomes involved."

"I see." Dracula mused as they walked further into the castle.

"Although I exercise a huge amount of influence in the ministry now, the sacred twenty eight will push for Potter exercise a mission to stop us." He shook his head. "Old families still thinking that they rule the roost when they are nothing more than relics of a bygone era."

"What is it you want me to do?"

"When the time comes, and it will, I want you to kill him." He said. "No toying, kill him. With him out of the way, our objective will be achieved much more fluently." Dracula stopped outside a huge oak door.

"Why don't I kill him right now?" Dracula asked "Why should I wait?"

"He is the most powerful weapon Britain has." The hooded man said. "You must dispose of him in his prime, because then the British will surrender quicker when they have nothing to fight for. And the sacred twenty eight will get on my side very quickly."

"These families back where you are sound powerful." Dracula said looking over his shoulder.

"Not for much longer." The hooded man said. "I'm already turning them against each other, they will crumble soon." Dracula laughed and pushed the door open. He then flicked the candles that lit up to reveal a huge room where there where thousands of green sacks hanging from every surface.

"If I kill this Alec Potter when he comes, then you will help me conquer the world in return for your kind's survival?"

"Yes." He said. "You must though begin your campaign now with the forces you have. I will keep Potter away for as long as possible." Dracula smiled in the corner of his mouth. He turned to the man and held out his hand which he shook.

"It seems we have a deal…Voldemort."


	10. Chapter 10

Alec looked out over his garden with a cold beer in his hand with his leg up. He would be inside on of his garages but Katherine had taken away his wand and was also watching him from the kitchen to make sure he didn't do anything. He placed his bottle down and heard soft footsteps coming from his right.

"Auror training tells me that you're here for something other than seeing how I'm doing." Said Alec. The soft footsteps became quicker and Alec turned his head to see his Tim Potter standing before him. Still in that same suit and umbrella leaning on his leg. He smiled smugly down at Alec.

"Not going for a run are we?"

"What do you want?" asked Alec picking his beer up.

"I just wanted to check how my little brother is-"

"Cut the crap." Said Alec in a fed up tone. "You only ever come to see me to scold me or to ask me to do something. So, which is it?" Tim frowned slightly.

"Both." He said summoning a chair. He dusted it with his hand and sat down.

"Taking your son to look at a classified dead body is high on the agenda." Said Tim. "What did you learn from it?" Alec chuckled.

"What makes you think I learned anything from it?" asked Alec. Tim laughed lightly and adjusted his waistcoat.

"World's greatest detective." Said Tim.

"I didn't give myself that name." said Alec.

"But still." Said Tim. "What did you learn about our Jane Doe?" Alec finished his beer. "About how she died?"

"She was suffocated." Said Alec.

"I know that bit." Said Tim. "But what relation did she have with this Thompson character?"

"They were lovers." Said Alec turning towards the patio door. "Accio beer!" The beer bottle came swishing through and caught it swiftly.

"Jesus Alec, you could have just asked of one." said Katherine coming to the patio door. She stopped dead and saw Tim sitting there. "Oh, hi Tim." She said. "I didn't hear you out here."

"Hello Katherine dear." Said Tim. "Just making sure my brothers alright." Katherine frowned slightly with a slight smirk and looked to Alec who nodded.

"I'll leave you boys to it." she said. "Be sure and tell James his dinner is in the oven when he comes back."

"Will do." Said Alec. Katherine closed the door.

"I might as well ask, how is my nephew doing? Didn't scare him with the dead body did you."

"James is fine." Said Alec opening his beer. "Not that you really care anyway." He finished taking a drink.

"Quite." Said Tim. "Now, you were saying."

"Who wants to know this?" asked Alec cutting across the Tim who tried to hide his frustration. "Because it doesn't really sound that important."

"A mutual party has inquired-"

"Is it because I've taken a look that everyone wants to know what I've found." Said Alec. "You always were the higher powers messenger boy."

"The Ministry."

"Or The Institute." Alec cutted in again.

"Listen!" Said Tim threw gritted teeth. "I've come here because I want you to do something." Alec put his beer down.

"I don't have to you know." Said Alec. "I'm suspended, remember. Why don't you ask your not so secret service for help?"

"They cannot be trusted." Said Tim. Alec raised his eyebrow.

"You don't trust your own secret service?"

"Naturally not." Said Tim, "They spy on people for money."

"And I don't." said Alec.

"You have all this and more stashed away." said Tim. "You were retired for five years and still could have lived for five hundred. Which tells me that you still, after all these years, do it for the thrill rather than the payment."

"And because of that I can be trusted." Said Alec.

"My superiors seem too think that our blood runs thicker than water." Said Tim in a way that implied that nothing was further from the truth.

"What a mistake." Said Alec still drinking.

"Indeed." Said Tim. "I need you to interview this Robert Thompson for me." Alec laughed and placed his beer down.

"So, after being told not to break into Azkaban you're now ordering me to." Said Alec. "Just so where clear." Tim nodded.

"How the hell am I supposed to do that with this." He said pointing at his knee.

"At least it wasn't the anterior, dear brother." Said Tim smiling smugly. "I will of course expect a full report from you in time."

"I'll try my best." Alec said sarcastically. "You can stay for dinner if you want."

"I don't think so." Said Tim getting to his feet. "I have a more interesting place to hang my hat." He said holding it out.

An arrow shot across the patio and hit Tim's hat. Tim took a step back while Alec watched the arrow smack into a flower bed wall with the hat still around it. They both looked back to see James on his haunches on the high wall at the opposite side of the patio. He lowered his bow and lowered the hood.

"Interesting enough?" he said walking towards them. Tim regained his composure.

"Hello nephew." He said nodding curtly. "Good to see you are well."

"You to uncle Timmy." Said James smirking. "Sorry about the hat but I guess you have a million like it in all different shades." Tim almost bit his lip to stop him from saying something he might regret.

"Quite right." He said. "You may keep it as a trophy of your…" he turned and looked at the hat. "Archery prowess."

"Thanks I think I will." Said James.

"I wouldn't be too smug, boy." Said Tim. "I have eyes everywhere, and I know of your little excursion at San Andreas." If he wanted James too looked fearful it didn't have the desired effect.

"I already know about that." Said Alec. "Which is funny, I thought fighting was never your thing." Tim frowned at the two of them before smiling.

"It's what the punters seem to like." He said. You should congratulate him, he was on the cusp of victory, clearly some of you juvenile talent has rubbed off on him.

"I hear it's a Potter trait." Said James.

Tim didn't reply, he straightened his jacket and picked up his umbrella and walked away.

"Oh, and one last thing little brother." He said turning back to Alec and James.

"Prior to your little incidents you were spending a lot of time at the Hill Street Orphanage." Said Tim. Alec turned his head towards him frowning at him. "Particularly room 134. Is there…anything I should know about?"

"No." said Alec dangerously. Tim smirked.

"Of course." He said. "I would tip my hat to you but…" he looked over at James. "Good day." With a flash of blue light he was gone.

"He's a prick." Said James walking over and picking up the arrow from the hat.

"Can't argue with you there." Said Alec.

"What is at room 134?" asked James.

"Nothing that concerns you." said Alec his eyes looking at the point where Tim had gone. Why would he want him to break into Azkaban to speak to Thompson, clearly his men couldn't break him. Maybe, in his own warped way it was saying to Alec that he believed in his abilities…took him long enough.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?" asked Alec looking round at James.

"What you thinking about?"

"Nothing." Said Alec getting to his feet. "Come on, mum says there's dinner in the oven for you."

* * *

"What did Tim want?" Katherine was lying in bed and watching Alec in the ensuite looking at his stitched wound in the mirror.

"He wanted a favour." Said Alec, his attention focused on something else entirely. Katherine could sense it.

"What favour was that?" she asked. Alec turned round and walked into the bed room.

"He wanted me to break into Azkaban." Said Alec. Katherine looked back surprised, she wasn't expecting that.

"Break into Azkaban." She said. Alec nodded. "Why?" Alec moved round towards his side of the bed.

"I think he wants me to have a word with that Thompson." Said Alec pulling back the duvet and sitting down. Katherine turned over and let her nails graze down his back.

"You are not going anyway." Said Katherine. "The doctor said total rest. And I intend you to have it."

"A little chat wouldn't hurt." Said Alec.

SLAP

"Awwww! What was that for?"

"For even thinking about something like that." Said Katherine. Alec got into bed and turned over to see her.

"I want you home now." she said. "When you get the all clear, then go. Ok."

"Ok, good night." He kissed her on the fore head.

"Good night. Love you."

"I love you to."

* * *

 _"In other news, the Government has announced today that it is sending more aid to Romania over the growing concerns of the tuberculosis crisis, despite the fact that the country is refusing to use it. The prime minister has reiterated that the people of Romania will be well looked after by the united kingdom. Other countries to pledge money are France and Holland. Humanitarian charities working out in the Romanian mountains, the worst hit areas, say the money is helpful, but more has to be done to let them get to the regions more affected. Jane Tessop has more. Jane."_

The T.V cut to picture of people walking down steep mountains.

 _"A miracle hike some are calling it. Others are calling it a walk through the seven circles of hell. These refugees are fleeing from the mountains where food and water are nowhere, and typhoid is ripe. These are the lucky ones. Others, dead on the mountain side._

 _We tried to get interviews with the people but as you can see…"_

The T.V turned to a crying woman who was with two small children. They tried to interview her but the emotion seemed too much.

 _"It's a tale of sorrow and woe that can only be considered a nightmare and too painful to talk about."_

It then cut to a tent.

 _"These are where the diseased are brought, we aren't allowed in but there can be a lot of wailing heard as this terrible disease takes hold. But for all the efforts of the aid workers, they almost seen to be pushed back by the authorities who have now declared all routes up the mountains closed. Anyone up there they feel is already infected._

 _Jane Tessop, BBC news."_

It cut back to the Anchor.

 _"Well, we can join Jane who's in the capital city Bucharest, Jane can you tell us what's going on there please."_

 _"Well it's hard to fathom really."_ she said. _"Soldiers are patrolling the mountain roads, not letting anyone up, not even aid workers. The rumour is that the leader has declared the mountains a no-go zone for anyone."_

 _"So let me get this straight, no one is allowed up there to help these people."_

 _"That's right, the leader has almost decreed that anyone left up there now is to die of Tuberculosis and not have excess to the millions of pounds of equipment that is just here wasting away almost."_

 _"Has there been any international pressure at all to abandon this stance?"_

 _"Not yet. All the major players are waiting and seeing, this outbreak seems to be spreading very quickly, I'm pretty sure they're going to let it become a crisis before they ask for international help."_

 _"It's amazing really. Thank you Jane. We can now speak to Pat Beaucannon the spokesman of the main charity co-ordinating the relief effort save the children._

 _"Thanks Tom."_ A good looking man in his fifties said.

 _"So Pat, what is the Leader thinking behind almost leaving his countrymen to die?"_

 _"To be honest we really don't know."_ He said. _"One expert we consulted suggested that maybe there trying to isolate an area which can be called what we call a 'red zone' which will have all the infected in one space rather than spread out over a much larger area."_

 _"But it won't stop the Tuberculosis?"_

 _"No, but that seems to the plan there going for at the moment, it would work better if they let some aid workers up into the mountain to try and contain the virus but they seem to be hell bent on making the problem going away naturally."_

 _"DO you think our government could do more to help these people?"_

 _"Most definitely, we know the regime in Romania has been brutally murdering anyone who has been opposing the ruling government. Local Government reports are saying that this crisis is god's way of telling them to stay in line."_

 _"Seems pretty medieval to me."_

 _"That's because it is. I mean, just a few years ago they were saying that Dracula was coming to get them."_ Both men started laughing.

Lily though couldn't see how they could jest so lightly in a time of crisis. Those were people who were dying and there they were laughing it up. Lily frowned and continued eating her bacon sandwich. She shouldn't stay angry, she was going back to Hogwarts, she would be back in her dorm, in her four poster bed with her friends and learning to do more magic. She smiled more now and ignored the T.V and the sounds of her dad heaving her trunk in the car.

"Did she pack a mini library in that case?" John asked to Lavender.

"No, she kept a separate one for that."

"Really."

"No of course not." Said Lavender laughing. "She did cram a lot of things in their though."

"Best go and get her if we want to get to London on time." said John. Lily heard the sound of her mum come into the house and the living room.

"Come on trouble. Time to go."

"Ok, just let me say goodbye to my room."

"Ok."

Lily went back upstairs, she heard a shuffling from Petunia's room. Lily looked at the door for a second before heading back to her room. IN truth she had said goodbye earlier, she just wanted to look at that photo one last time. She took the offending photo off the dressing table mirror. After a short look she placed it back and then went to go back downstairs and she saw Petunia's door and another shuffle.

She should at least try and say goodbye. Lily opened the door and saw Petunia looking at her, as soon as she realised she turned over.

"I'm leaving Tuney." Said Lily. Still nothing. "I'm going to miss you." Still nothing. "Goodbye." Lily closed the door behind her and walked down to the car where her parents were waiting for her. Lily must have looked down because her mum came over and hugged her.

"You're a good girl for saying goodbye." She said rubbing her back soothingly. Lily returned it fleetingly, just wanting to get to Hogwarts now. Lavender climbed into car and they set off towards London.

* * *

 _"The Ministry is pledging over two million Galleons to the victims of the new wave of Vampire attacks who has been on a murderous rampage over the few weeks with as they violate the terms of his agreement with The Ministry of Magic. At the moment The Ministry has put the number of conversations as only hundreds while deaths are up in the hundreds of thousands, bordering nearly a million."_

" _The muggle authorities are putting it down to a tuberculosis outbreak that the Romanian Government are too weak to control. However the Ministry has quarantined the mountain region to try and contain the vampires that are now running amok up there. Minister Rufus Henley has had this to say."_

 _"We are trying to open dialogue with Dracula to try and quell this threat. But as of yet he hasn't responded to our hails, as such, we have sent more enforcers to Romania to assist local Vampire hunters in trying to keep them under control while we try to solve this dispute diplomatically."_

 _"His strategy though has come under threat by some high ranking individuals in recent days though. Head of magical aid and author of the best-selling book 'A History of Magic' Bathilda Bagshot resigned and sited this as the main reason, here's what she had to say."_

 _"Sending the Enforcers to Romania is not enough, they are not effectively trained to deal with Vampires. We need to send our big guns over and settle this dispute quickly. I for one think that our Auror's would be better suited to the job as they are more trained to deal with high pressure scenarios and crises. Surely Alec Potter's apprehension of Robert Thompson proves that Auror's are the most versatile and best trained men and women on the planet to capture Dracula, or, maybe, the time has come for us to look into ending him, permanently."_

 _"However head of Magical Law Enforcement Internal affairs Jane Umbridge has defended the use of Enforcers and even went as far as saying that Auror's where not needed to deal with the situation."_

 _"It is of my Opinion, and the ministers. That the Enforcement officers that we are sending are trained enough to deal with this imminent crisis. We hope that this is a small misunderstanding and that we can resume our peaceful pact with the vampires."_

 _"Madam Umbridge, people are crying out for someone like Allister Moody or Alec Potter to go out there and sort it, why is The Ministry resisting?"_

There was a sweet cough that was hiding annoyance.

 _"The Ministry of Magic does not deal with individuals."_

 _"Ok, why aren't the Auror's out there, this is what we expect them to do?"_

Another cough.

 _"The Auror's I Believe are a dying breed. They show complete disregard for the rules, and use fear and intimidation to achieve results. Look at the Robert Thompson case as a perfect example. If we had caught him through the proper means and procedure he might be more willing to tell us about the people he works for. But, because of Ale- I mean one Auror's total disregard for due process, we have a man who is uncooperative and refuses to deal with us. Even though this Auror was duly suspended he took the law into his own hands to deal with this problem when he should of let the relevant authorities deal with it."_

 _"I'd say it was a bloody good job Alec Potter was there to catch him or he might never have been caught. And he was the one who caught Robert Murdoch and put him away, I'd say he was the perfect person to lead this new assault."_

 _"We do not, comment, on Individuals!"_

 _"But who's going to lead the charge on this new threat, some newbie who doesn't know what he's doing? That's just asking for trouble."_

 _"Funnily enough, the interview ended there. But it does raise a good point. Who will lead us in this new threat? Dracula is one of the most dangerous beings in the world, him trying expand his lands is trouble for everyone, whoever they appoint, Auror or not will have a huge task on his hands."_

The radio went off.

"Hey." James looked up at his dad who had turned off the radio. "I was listening to that."

"If you want to go to school then I suggest that you stop and get ready." Said Alec. James muttered something and then pushed his stool out and went to get his stuff from upstairs. Alec was looking at the radio, he couldn't stand having it on. Most of the broadcasts were about Dracula and then about having him sort them out.

"Somethings bothering you." Katherine wrapped her arms around him and leaned on his back.

"No. Nothing is." Said Alec.

"You can't lie to me." Said Katherine. "James was listening to the radio."

"And…"

"And you heard what everyone's been saying about Dracula." Said Katherine. "And you." Alec didn't say anything. Katherine sighed and kissed his back.

"Is that what's been bothering you?" she asked.

"No." said Alec. "But…it is preying on my mind."

"You know that were all here." Said Katherine.

"My dad told me when I went down this path to never abandon the world to fate." Said Alec. "It almost feels like I am." Katherine didn't say anything, but the scraping of James hauling his trunk snapped her out of her train of thought.

"Have you packed everything?" she asked.

"I think so." Said James. "But you can send Dante with anything I missed."

"So your son." said Katherine as she followed James outside into the drive. Alec looked back at the radio and then went to walk outside, pausing to pick up Dante's cage as he went past.

"I think you forgot something." said Alec handing James he cage.

"Oh, thanks dad." said James. "Dante!" He let out a low whistle. After a moment the black owl came swooping out of the woods and flapped his wings impressively.

"Come on you show off." Said James smiling at the aerial display. Dante flew into cage. "I'll let you out on the train."

"Ready?"

"Ready. And you'll definitely send my broom."

"Yes, James." Said Katherine rolling her eyes. With a flash of blue light, they were gone.

They reappeared in an alley and made their way towards the station. They got inside, Alec was hating this walking stick, he wanted to hurl it under the train. He felt Katherine touch his arm and smile at him sympathetically.

They got to the platform nine and ten and passed through to the other side. James smirked and

"Alright mate." James hugged Sirius and they patted each other on the back. "Good summer?"

"Yeah it was alright." Said James. "Seen Remus or Pete around?" Sirius shook his head. "No, I've been stuck with that sorry sack of shit." He pointed over his shoulder to a boy who looked like Sirius.

"Oh yeah, little favourite son is coming this year isn't he." Said James.

"That bitch is making me look after him." said Sirius. "I've told him to go off with his friends and leave me alone."

"Guess he didn't back you up being a Gryffindor." Said James as they walked towards the train with their trunks and Dante.

"Like hell he did." Said Sirius. "He agrees with whatever mums thinks."

"Bastard son of the wizarding world's most influential family?"

"Something like that." Said Sirius as they boarded the train. "It gets better as well." He pointed over to a girl with black hair with a slightly manic look on her face. James sighed.

"Oh boy."

"Yeah, they kicked her out of Beauxbatons." Said Sirius as they walked away from her.

"What for?"

"She cursed a muggleborn quite badly." Said Sirius. "Not surprising really."

"Is she still bat-shit insane?"

"Oh yeah." Said Sirius, a small smile appeared on his lips. "Still likes you to."

"Please don't say that." Said James shaking his head as they moved down the carriage. I don't want leaving some sort of satanic sacrifice to try and lure me out.

"I was thinking she would use a love potion on you personally." Said Sirius. "But then again I wouldn't but past her to use chloroform either."

"Shame I don't like her." James said shaking his head.

"But dear Bellatrix does though Jamesy." He said. "You don't want to push her over the edge by rejecting her to do you?" He let out a bark like laughter. "Be a man and take one for the team."

"Shut up."

"Apparently there's another girl from Beauxbatons as well."

"What do we know about her?" asked James.

"Blonde, blue eyes, drop dead gorgeous, half and half. Goes by the name Julia." Sirius said with a grin. "If there's any justice in the world then she ends up with us." James shook his head. If Sirius had done his homework on her then she must have something about her.

"So when will you meet her?" James asked.

"Probably right after Bellatrix kidnaps you."

"Ha, ha." James dead panned.

"Nah, besides, blondes aren't my type." he said.

James looked up.

"Now there's someone we know." Said James opening the door to one compartment.

"Ah, Remus, Remus Lupin." Said James as he walked in. "Good to see you again."

"Hi guys." Said Remus looking up from his book. "Have you seen Peter?"

"Nah, probably running late, as usual." Said Sirius and he and James hauled their trunks underneath the seat. James placed Dante up on the shelf above the seat and he squawked.

"When the train moves alright." He said throwing him a treat which he gobbled up. "I need to get my present from Mum and Dad." James left the two of them and went back to where his mum and dad where waiting.

"Right, peace and quiet for you two now." said James.

"Aww I'm gonna miss you." said Katherine enveloping James in a hug. James returned it.

"I will to mum." He said. He then turned to his dad.

"We have a little surprise for you to." Alec said.

"Cool, what is it?"

"Well, since you were really close to the Quidditch team last year, I said to your mum that you would need a new broom." Said Alec.

"But I said that your old one was fine." Said Katherine.

"I didn't listen to her and so." Alec pulled a broomstick from behind him and handed it to James whose mouth was agape.

It was a Nimbus Wronski. Its golden handle gleaming and all the immaculately trimmed twigs. James took hold of it.

"And this is for me?" he said looking up at his parents who were smiling at him.

"All yours." Said Katherine. "Make sure you get on the team and put it to good use. It wasn't easy to get hold off."

"This is limited edition." Said James, his eyes scanning over the broom. "I saw one In America, I didn't think I'd actually own one

"This one's been made by old man Nimbus himself." Said Alec.

"Really?" said James.

"He owes me a favour." Said Alec. "So it has a few toys on it that you'll only find on F1 brooms. Extra speed charms. A calculus brake charm and." He took it from James and balanced it on his finger.

"Lighter that a feather but stronger than oak." He said handing it back to James. "Also." He handed James a package.

"New Quidditch armour. Based on my own Auror armour. I had to guys in the armoury make it up for you." Alec opened it up. Inside was an armoured chest plate along with shoulder guards, fore arm guards and boots.

"It's a new thing we've been testing, carbon fibre armour. This sucker." He said patting it. "Would stop a knife, a bludger won't be much trouble."

"You're the best dad." said James hugging him tightly.

"…I try to be." He said. "Now go on. The train's going to leave soon." James hugged his mum one last time before running back to train.

"He liked the presents." Said Katherine.

"I knew he would." Said Alec as he watched James run off. "I just hope he actually uses them for Quidditch."

"What else would he do with them?" Katherine asked.

"You keep telling me he's my son, so I can think of a hundred and one things he shouldn't do with it but will."

* * *

It had been a nice couple of days for Lily. It was nice to spend some time with her parents as they went round London together. They took her to the Theatre to see a show and then dinner in china town before staying the night in a nice hotel.

Her dad then went off somewhere while her and her mum went to Diagon Alley, where her mum told her that she could buy some more books to take away with her. At half ten they made their way to kings cross with her dad saying that he would meet them there.

"Are you looking forward to going back?" asked Lavender. Lily was looking out on the grey day with an unreadable expression on her face. "Lily?" She turned to face her mum.

"Sorry mum, miles away." she said putting some hair behind her ear. "I guess that answers your question."

They arrived outside the station and went inside. They hauled her trunk through the crowd of people to the platform which they now passed through easily to the station. Lavender smiled at the grin on her daughters face. It was almost…almost like she was home.

"Go get a compartment and then come back." Your dad should be here then.

"Ok." Lily took her trunk and satchel and went off the find her friends. About a minute later John was at her side with a cat carrier.

"Did you get Him?" asked Lavender excitedly. She peered inside and saw the ginger kitten meow.

"Aww, Lily will love him." said Lavender. "It's perfect!"

"Puns where never your thing." Said John smiling, Lavender shot him an unamused glare which made John laugh more.

"Hey dad!" Lily slammed into her dad and hugged him fiercely.

"Hey you, could of given me some warning."

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Now, Lily." John said as Lily disembraced. "Your mother and I have been talking about your situation." Lily looked up with a questioning gaze.

"My situation? I thought we decided that I didn't have a situation." Said Lily.

"No, not about that." Said Lavender, "I've thought that you've been lonely when you've come back home. So, when we were looking over your letter last year, it said that you could take a pet with you." Lily's eyes started to get wider.

"So" John then turned round and pulled out a pet carrier.

"This is for you Sweetpea." Said Lavender, John handed it over to Lily who opened the door frantically. Curled up inside was a kitten. It turned and looked at Lily with big bright blue eyes. Lily breathed in deeply, the small cat meowed and began to crawl towards her.

"Awwww!" Lily picked the kitten out and placed the carrier on the floor. "Oh my god you're so cute!" she said holding the cat to her chest. The kitten was covered in ginger fur with a white belly. Lily turned to her mum and dad.

"This is brilliant, is he mine?"

"All yours." Said John.

"Does he have a name?" asked Lily.

"No, we thought you could come up with one." Said Lavender. "He really seems to like you."

The kitten was happily clinging to Lily while she stroked its fur. Lily was far too enthralled in her new kitten to pay her parents any attention. Lavender looked at John and smirked.

"Well, best you get going." Said Lavender hugging Lily, "I hope you have the best year ever."

"I will mum." Said Lily hugging her back. "I'll write." She turned to her dad.

"Goodbye Lily." He said hugging her tightly. "Try and not get captured by another terrorist."

"I'll try my best." Said Lily as she and her kitten walked onto the train, Lily saying to the cat how cute it looked.

"She likes the cat." Said Lavender.

"Ok, you were right." Said John.

"I'm always right." Said Lavender as the train began to pull away from the station.

Lily and the new kitten made their way into her compartment. The girls were too busy to notice the cat in her arms.

"Look at this Lily." Said Dorcas, "I just don't believe that something this could happen." Dorcas turned to Lily and saw the kitten.

"Awwww!" Lily turned to Dorcas.

"I know right!" she said. "He's just so cute!" The kitten purred lightly as Lily stroked him behind his ears.

"Oh my god Lily who is he?" asked Marlene.

"My new Kitten." Said Lily. "Mum and dad just gave him to me."

"What's his name?" asked Mary.

"He doesn't have one. Yet." Said Lily. "Maybe we should think up of one for him." The kitten meowed curled up in Lily's lap.

"How about…Henry?" said Sarah. "He looks like a henry."

"No I don't like Henry." Said Lily stroking underneath his chin.

"How about…fluffy?"

"No, sounds to clichéd." Said Lily. The kitten curled up in Lily's lap and closed its eyes. Almost like it was sleeping.

"Dexter." Said Dorcas. "Dexter the cat sounds good." Lily shook her head. She only had one chance to name this cat properly and didn't want to screw it up.

"I don't have to decide right now." She said. "I'm sure I'll think of one between now and the train ride."

The kitten snoozed happily on Lily's lap as the train thundered through the countryside. Lily was leaning against the window, her eyes slowly dropping, she wasn't the only one, she could see Dorcas and Mary already asleep while Marlene and Sarah like her were almost there. Before Lily actually could close her book, she was gone to.

The kitten woke up and looked up at his new master, he meowed and licked her hand. She didn't stir. The kitten uncurled itself from her lap and jumped down on the floor, it moved over towards the door and out into the hallway of the train. It looked both ways before walking down the right hand side. The kitten walked past a couple of closed doors before he found an open one, with lots of laughter and noise coming from it. Curious, it walked round the corner to see four boys laughing in the compartment.

One of the boys stopped laughing and looked down at him. He ruffled his jet black hair in confusion.

"Now where have you wondered from?" James picked the kitten up and it purred in his hands.

"It doesn't look familiar." Said Remus. "Maybe it's another houses cat."

"Whoever's it is it's a friendly cat." Said James stroking it behind its ears. "Brand new I would of thought."

"You have Dante, you don't need another pet." Said Sirius.

"I know, and I wouldn't give him up for the world." Said James. "But this cat is safer with us than having it prowling round the place by itself."

"Not very manly having a cat in the apartment." Said Peter.

"The only pussy in here is you." said Sirius. He leaned over and looked at the cat.

"Might be a first year that's lost it." he said. He looked up at James who was smiling while stroking the kitten.

"Maybe I was wrong, maybe there are three pussy's in here after all."

"Shut up."

* * *

Lily woke up and stretched, it was nearly dark outside. Lily got to her feet and got her robes out of her bag. The rest of her friends were asleep, as Lily looked around she saw the pet carrier on by her seat. Lily screwed up her face, she didn't have a pet. Lily's eyes suddenly darted back to the pet carrier, her cat. Lily looked round frantically, her cat wasn't here.

"Wake up!" shouted Lily, "Everyone wake up!"

"Jesus Lily." Said Dorcas rubbing her eyes, "What's with you?"

"My cats gone!"

Lily looked out of the open door she ran towards the last compartment on her left. Her cat wasn't in there. The occupants were laughing merrily but no sign of the cat. Lily walked back up the carriage, peering inside the doors to see no sign of the cat.

The next one she peered in held the boys from her year all laughing and joking at each other. She was about to pass on when she noticed something curled up on Potters lap. Something very ginger and now familiar. Lily felt a searing anger at the cat already making itself comfortable with the one person in the world that she couldn't stand. Lily yanked the door open and huffed. The five occupants all turned their heads towards her.

"Evans?"

"Give me my cat back!" said Lily, a little louder than she wanted to.

"This is your cat?" asked Potter, having the cheek and audacity to lightly scratch him behind his ears that elicited a purr from her cat.

"Of course it's my cat!" said Lily walking into the compartment. "Can't you tell?"

"Well it hasn't been moody or up itself so no, I couldn't." replied Potter easily. Sirius was laughing in the corner while Potter wore that stupid smirk on his face.

"Give him here." Said Lily. The cat came willingly, affording one last look at Potter before trotting over the legs and into Lily's arms.

"Now why where you here with these reprobates?" she asked turning firmly on her heel and walking out.

"Bye Horatio." Lily turned back and stared down Potter who was holding his hand up.

"What did you call him?"

"Horatio." Said Potter, "It was the only name he responded to." Lily huffed and turned back out of the door and looked down at the cat. Horatio. Lily seethed, it was perfect.

"Come on…Horatio." The car purred and curled up again close to her. "I am so going to regret choosing that name." she said pulling the door to her compartment open.

"Oh, you found him." Said Dorcas, "Where was he?"

"He was curled up next to Potter." Said Lily, "Weren't you Horatio."

"Horatio?"

"Yeah, that's his name." said Lily quickly.

"I thought you couldn't come up with a name." said Dorcas with a slight smirk.

"Well I have now." Said Lily kissing the top of Horatio's head and placing him in the cat carrier. "And it's a very nice name." said Lily hoping that they'd never find out that Potter named him.

"It almost dark, we'll be there soon." Said Marlene turning round.

BOOM!

All the girls turned to the sound of the muffled explosion. "Probably James." Said Dorcas as she began to change into her robes.

* * *

"So, we just leave our stuff here?" said Lily.

"Yeah, they'll bring it up later." Said Dorcas. She turned to face Lily who still had that thoughtful look on her face.

"Don't worry they'll look after Horatio." She said reassuringly.

"It's not that." Said Lily, "What actually pulls the carts?"

"What do you mean?" Asked Dorcas as they got inside.

"I mean, I can't see anything that'll pull them? Look at Potter." She pointed to Potter who was seemingly staring into space. "It looks like he's watching something. But there's nothing there." Lily frowned.

"Or, is it one of those more than meets the eye things." She pondered. Dorcas looked at James and then back Lily.

"The latter." She said patting Lily's hand. The carriage groaned into life and then pulled away towards the castle.

"I kinda wish we could of gone on the boats again." said Sarah. "Now that was magical."

"Yeah." Said Lily. She poked her head out the window, the cool breeze swept through her hair and she saw the castle. The looked up at the tower where Gryffindor common room was.

She smiled. In a weird way, it almost felt like home. The carriage pulled up and they climbed aboard.

 **The Marauders Proudly Present James Potter & Lily Evans In: The Marauders Year Two**

 **Chapter Ten**

 **Horatio**

 **Written By Chambers10**


	11. Chapter 11

"Callum Jones." A small blonde boy walked to the sorting hat and waited for it to be placed on his head.

"Hufflepuff, has to be." James said.

"Nah, Ravenclaw all the way." Sirius said shaking his head.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The room clapped.

"Damn." Sirius turned to James.

"Best 17 out of 34?"

"17 out of 33." Remus corrected him.

"Felicity MacMillan."

"That's Slytherin if I ever saw one." James said as a good looking blonde girl tossed her hair slightly as she walked up confidently.

"I agree with you there."

"SLTHERIN!" Both James and Sirius fist bumped on another as the girl walked away to other side of the hall.

"Jordan Selwyn."

"Gryffindor." James said confidently. "Hands down."

"Hufflepuff." Sirius mused.

"I think Slytherin." Peter chimed in.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Shows what you know." James said looking over at Peter who had gone red.

"You know, you guys are really immature for doing that." Dorcas said leaning over.

"It's a little fun." Said James. "At least where not putting money on it."

"Like that would make it worse." Said Dorcas shaking her head.

"You asked." James. "Now that is a Hufflepuff." James pointed to a chubby boy who waddled up to the stool.

"If that stool doesn't break then my faith in magic is unquestionable." Dorcas slapped Sirius across the back of his head.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Good choice." Remus said as Dorcas shook her head and went back to talk to the other girls in her year.

James looked over to the other side of the room where two girls were sitting on their own table. One of them was the black haired Bellatrix Black, the other a blonde shy looking girl who was staring at her food. That must be the Julia Sirius was talking about.

"I think Bellatrix to Slytherin." Said James.

"No shit." Sirius replied his eyes then darted over towards the table at the blonde. "What about her?"

"What about her?"

"I think Ravenclaw." James said. "She seems shy."

"You think so…" James shook his head.

"Before we begin our feast, our old defence against the dark arts teacher, Professor Heath, has unfortunately left to resume his career in the Auror's at this delicate time. But, I am happy to announce that we have a new Professor to take the class this year. I would like you all to welcome Professor Damien Helsing."

Dumbledore pointed his hand over to a man sitting on the edge of the table who was dressed all in black. Black shirt, black trousers and a black coat. He had a handsome face with wiry black hair and very definable cheek bones. He placed his hand up almost shyly at the applause.

"I know him." James muttered.

"Who is he?" Remus asked.

"He was a curse breaker for gringots." Said James. "He used to come to my dad for advice when he was an Auror as well."

"How the mighty has fallen." Sirius said. "Is he nice?"

"He's a bit of an idiot." Said James. "No people skills."

"Great." Sirius muttered.

"While you are all here, I wish to address a few troubling matters that have come up since the last time we were all here." The room went into synchronised muttering.

"For the muggle borns among us, please know that the threats by the Sons Of Salazar will not affect you while you are within our walls. I know it is a very delicate issue that has followed us for more than a generation, so know that anyone sprouting any anti muggleborn propaganda will find themselves punished."

"Also, as someone of you have been reading and listening in the news, there are Rumours that Dracula has resurfaced." The room went into more animated discussion. "Although it is only rumours at this point, I remind all of you to remain vigilant against this threat, it always pays to be cautious. Now, enjoy."

The table filled up with food and everyone began to eat, swapping stories about what had happened over the summer.

"I don't believe it." said Isabel, she turned to Dorcas. "Have you seen who's over there." Dorcas craned her neck towards the table in the corner of the room and her mouth dropped.

"What, what is it?" asked Lily craning her own neck to see.

"That's Bellatrix…" said Dorcas.

"Who's Bellatrix?" Asked Lily still trying to see what was going on.

"Bellatrix Black." Said Dorcas. "Nasty piece of work." She turned to Isabel. "I thought she'd gone to Beauxbatons?"

"I thought so to." Isabel hissed. "I know Narcissa is but I didn't know she was as well."

"Maybe they figured out she was a nutcase?"

"Who is Bellatrix?" asked Lily.

"It doesn't matter." Dorcas said. "An old…friend."

"It must be somebody?" Lily said still trying to see.

"Yeah, somebody you don't really want to know Lily." Isabel said going back to her food.

After dinner everyone started to file out of the great hall. Alice had come over and informed Lily of the new password as she led the new first years away to the tower for the first time.

"Yeah, we'll put Lily's radio on and break out the chocolate." Dorcas said, "We can finally see how far Marlene has got with that muggle boy she met at Lily's."

"Well it's going to be very, very short."

"Well maybe you can tell me more about Bellatrix." Lily said.

"Well I think we have enough time for that." Dorcas said.

"Ah…Dorcas Meadows and Isabel Parks." Bellatrix came sauntering over towards them. She was taller than them, with black hair and a slightly manic look on her face. "I thought I'd find you two gossiping, about me."

"Hello Bellatrix." Dorcas said turning round and folding her arms. "What are you doing here? I thought you were at Beauxbatons?"

Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at Dorcas. "I decided on a change of scenery."

"More like you were kicked out." Said Isabel.

"That's a matter of perspective." Said Bellatrix. She then looked behind Dorcas at Lily.

"And it looks like you've found yourselves a new pet."

"I'm a person not a pet." Said Lily. Bellatrix let out a laugh that sounded more like a cackle to Lily.

"Oh, she does have a voice." Said Bellatrix. "And who might you be then, I've never seen you here before, with that red hair you might be a Weasly."

"I'm Lily, Lily Evans!" Lily said defiantly.

"Lily, don't."

"Evans?" Bellatrix said perplexed. "I've never heard of it."

"You wouldn't, its muggle." Bellatrix cackled again like Christmas had come early.

"It just gets better." She said looking at all of them. "You really do scrape the bottom on the barrel for friends don't you Meadows." She then took a step back.

"Well after what happened to the last one, I suppose a muggle is an improvement."

"Butio!" Dorcas reacted so fast Lily didn't even have time to blink. A banshee cry erupted between them which forced Bellatrix back.

"Murciélago espectro!" shouted Lily. A pale green stream of light flew from Lily's wand and hit Bellatrix on the floor. She sneezed and a huge black bat shot out of her nose. She looked down at it and screamed, she sneezed and another one flew out.

"I'll get you lousy A-CHEW!" another bat flew out. "You lo- A-CHEW!"

"Sorry, what was that?" Dorcas asked walking towards her. "I couldn't hear you over your sneezing."

"Miss Meadows, Miss Evans!" Both Dorcas and Lily turned round to see Professor McGonagall striding towards them with a face like thunder.

"Damn…"

"Shit."

"What are you two doing? Attacking another student!"

"But Professor, Dorcas was provoked!" Lily said.

"I don't care, you two, my office." She turned to Bellatrix who was still sneezing bats. She looked almost surprised to see her there, her surprise was quickly replaced by her professional demeanour.

"And, one of you take Miss Black to the hospital wing." She said as she led Dorcas and Lily away. Lily looked back at the crowd that had formed around them. Her friends looked at the two of them stunned while she saw Potter and his friends look on a little confused at them. James looking a little intently at her. Lily flushed red and then turned away.

The trip up to the office was in silent, Lily afforded a look over at Dorcas who had a steely stare and looked furious. Lily looked back ahead at McGonagall's back as they made the now familiar way to her office.

She opened the door.

"In." she gestured. Lily and Dorcas walked and stood in front of the desk while McGonagall sat down.

"I would of expected that sort of stunt from Potter and Black. But from you two!"

"But we were provoked Professor!" Lily pleaded. "It was her fault!"

"That may be Miss Evans, but you cannot stoop to her level and play dirty." McGonagall said.

"It wasn't dirty." Lily said not looking at her.

"You two seemed to create a good double act." Said McGonagall. "Miss Black didn't stand a chance."

"She deserved it." They both turned to Dorcas who was looking at the floor. McGonagall sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"I'm sure she didn't."

"She did." Dorcas replied imeadietly and untroubled. "It was a good job that Lily got her before I did, I don't know what I would of done to her." Lily looked down to look to see Dorcas's face, some of her blonde hair had fallen from her ponytail, shielding her features.

"That's not the stance to take with Bellatrix." McGonagall said. "And why did you get involved?" She asked looking over at Lily.

"I was…backing my friend up." Lily said quietly. McGonagall leaned back in her chair.

"I know what she must of said stung Miss Meadows, to be honest, maybe she did deserve it."

"Professor?"

"I wasn't best pleased when I heard she was coming here." Said McGonagall. "It looks like I was proved right, but I don't want you two being idiots and resorting to her tactics. She'll beat you with experience."

"Yes Professor." Lily said.

"Miss Meadows?" Dorcas bit her lip to stop from shouting, she sighed into a resigned face.

"Yes Professor." Her voice barley a whisper.

"You two will receive a detention when I find a suitable punishment for you. You may go to the feast." Dorcas turned straight away and went out. Lily went to talk to her but she walked straight past her. Lily looked back at McGonagall who mouthed, "Keep an eye on her." Lily nodded and went after her.

"Dorcas!" Lily ran after her. But she was walking with heavy steps and hunched shoulders. "Dorcas, please stop."

Dorcas stopped but didn't turn back, Lily jogged behind her, her steps echoing round corridor as she approached.

"Thanks for standing up for me." She then laughed and turned to Lily. "And for hexing her, that was a hell of a good shot."

"Thanks." Lily placed some stray hair behind her ear. "She, shouldn't of said those things."

"You know, Harriet would of liked you." Dorcas said with a smile.

"Would she?" Lily asked. "She wasn't like Potter then?"

"Well she was a Potter." Dorcas said fondly. "But, she was calmer that James."

"I can imagine." They laughed as they reached the great hall. Dorcas went to place her hand on the handle but then stopped.

"Dorcas?"

"You know, let's go back to the dorm." Said Dorcas. "I don't fancy having an interrogation just yet."

"Good idea." Agreed Lily.

They went into the common room where the fire was burning brightly, but they passed it up towards the third floor where they walked into the dorm. Lily walked in first and could hear Horatio meowing and scratching in his cat carrier.

"Oh, Horatio." Lily walked over and opened the carrier door. Horatio ran out and turned, his eyes taking in his new home. Lily and Dorcas both awed at the tiny kitten as it walked around the room. It then looked round at Lily and bounded towards her.

Lily and Dorcas laughed as Lily picked him and cuddled him.

"Aw, don't be scared." Lily said rubbing his back. "I was scared to when I first came here, but it's nice when you get used to it." Horatio just rubbed his head against Lily.

"He likes you already." Dorcas said leaning next them.

"Of course he does. I'm his mama." Lily said stroking him. "Why don't we get a fire stoked up here and he can sleep by it. I'm sure the girls will appreciate it." Dorcas nodded and Lily placed Horatio on her bed along with the blanket in his cat carrier while Lily stoked up the coal burner.

"Your good at that."

"I have one at home." Lily said while she watched the coals. "I'm from Yorkshire, it's a mining part of the world."

"You could do one every night." Said Dorcas. The room was instantly warmer now than it had been, and bathed the room in a soft orange light. Lily shuffled back and leaned on the base of her bed and brought knees up. Her attention diverted by the dancing flames.

"Meow." Lily looked up and saw Horatio's face hovering over the edge of the bed with his blanket in his mouth.

"Aw, come here." Lily picked Horatio up from behind her and placed him in her lap. "What's this?" Lily tried to take the blanket away but Horatio hissed.

"Ok. Ok." She said. Horatio continued to chew on the blanket.

"He must have had it from his home." Dorcas said looking down. "Maybe he doesn't want to part with it."

"I understand that." Lily said looking round, she looked up at Dorcas.

"Can you go into my trunk and get the blanket at the top." Lily asked. Dorcas nodded and did as she instructed. She picked out the green blanket and handed it to Lily. "Cheers."

"Horatio," she said gently. "Horatio, look at this." The kitten looked up at Lily who was rubbing herself against her blanket. Horatio looked on and cocked his head.

"Well this is my blanket. I have this from home."

"Lily, he can't understand you." Dorcas said with a smile. She had released Athena who was resting on Dorcas's shoulder.

"He will." Said Lily, "That's his home blanket, and this is mine." Horatio had now abandoned his blanket and was now trying to claw at Lily's.

"No, this is mine." Said Lily. Horatio looked puzzled and stepped down from Lily's lap and walked with his blanket in front of the fire and lay down in front of it.

"Oh."

"Don't take it personally." Dorcas said. "You two just met today. You need to give him time to readjust."

"Ok..." Lily could hear voices by the door.

"They should all be in there." It was Alice's voice. "There really nice, I'll introduce them." The door opened and Alice walked in with the Blonde haired girl who was on the table with Bellatrix.

"Hey, Dorcas, Lily. This is a new girl in your year."

"Oh, hey." Lily got to her feet and brushed her skirt down. "I'm Lily Evans." She turned to Dorcas.

"I'm Dorcas Meadows." She said shaking the girl's hand.

"I'm Julia." She said nodding. "Julia Tottenham."

"I'll leave you all to get acquainted." Alice said. "Julia, I'm on the first floor if you need anything."

"Thank you." Julia said as Alice walked out. She stood awkwardly in the doorway for a second.

"Come sit." Lily said. "I'm sure your bed will be there in just-" She turned and saw that a new bed had just appeared next to Lily's "-There?" Julia's trunk and a pet carrier where now by the foot of the bed.

"Do you mind if I let my cat out?" Julia asked going over to the carrier. "She hates it in there."

"Sure, you can but her next to Horatio." Lily said. Julia smiled and opened the carrier and a jet black cat came out gingerly.

"Aw, he's nice." Dorcas said. The cat curled up on the floor next to Horatio. "What's her name?"

"Mercavity." Julia said smiling. "She's three, and a nice cat." Julia kneeled down next to her and rubbed the cat behind the ears which elicited a purr.

"Is this your cat?" Julia asked. Lily nodded.

"I only got him today." Lily said now kneeling down next to Horatio. "But I think he likes me." The cat looked over at Lily and then back to the flames.

"Do you have a cat?" Julia asked Dorcas.

"No, I have an owl." Dorcas said pointing up to the wardrobe where Athena was roosting. "So, how come you've come to Hogwarts now?" Dorcas asked. "Where were you before?"

"I was at Beauxbatons." Julia said. "My dad decided to pull me out because he thought Hogwarts was safer."

"Safer from what?" Lily asked.

"He didn't say." Julia said.

"Are you a pureblood?" Dorcas asked. Julia laughed and shook her head.

"No, my dad is a wizard and my mums a- oh what's the word you all use?"

"Muggle?" Lily finished.

"Yeah, that." Julia said. "I had no idea I was a witch until my letter came, it was for Hogwarts at first but then dad said I should go to Beauxbatons."

"That must have been a shock." Dorcas said.

"Yeah, and then some." Julia said laughing. "My mum had no idea and was really shocked to find out."

"I had that surprise as well." Said Lily. "Both my parents are muggle and had no idea I was a witch." Lily remembering about that day when McGonagall turned up on her doorstep.

"My dad was hoping I was going to be a Hufflepuff." Julia said. "Oh well. I think I'll like being a Gryffindor. Just as they had finished the door opened and the rest of the girls walked in.

"Ah, there they are." Marlene said as she opened the door. "James was taking money on whether you'd been sent home."

"How thoughtful." Lily said darkly. "Actually, where have you been, the feast finished ages ago?"

"There was a firework display that we all went to." Isabel said. I'm surprised you didn't hear it."

"Well we were a bit distracted." Lily said.

"Is James back then?" Dorcas asked.

"Yeah, he should be in his Dorm."

"I just need to have a word with him." Dorcas said getting up and walking out of the room.

"Oh! Everyone this is Julia!" Lily said brightly pulling Julia toward her, causing her to stumble.

"Hi." Julia said. "I've erm… just moved here from Beauxbatons."

"Oh, nice to meet you."

Julia spent more time telling everyone about herself and what everyone had done over to the summer. Soon though they made their way to bed.

"Looks like someone has made himself at home." Mary said. Horatio was sleeping in front of the fire.

"Yeah we had a bit of a bonding session." Said Lily.

"By the way, nice bat bogey hex on Bellatrix." Isabel said as she started to unpack. "She needed something like that."

"Just be careful though." Jessica said with a frown. "She isn't known to take stuff like that lying down."

"Who was she anyway?" Lily asked. "I've never met her before."

"Her name is Bellatrix Black." Said Julia. "She was in my year last year. Very nasty piece of work."

"Black…as in."

"Sirius's cousin." Isabel said nodding. "Another nasty piece of work."

"How comes she's here?" asked Lily. "She wasn't last year?"

"She was kicked out of Beauxbatons. An all-girls school." Said Julia, he face trained on the door as if Bellatrix was going to burst into the room at any moment. "She cursed a muggle-born quite badly."

"You all don't like her." Lily said reaching over to pet Horatio who meowed.

"She's a first class bitch." Isabel said now sitting on her bed and hugging her knees. "Always really spiteful."

"So I heard." Said Lily.

"You know the whole school is talking about you and Dorcas hexing her." said Marlene now getting ready for bed.

"Consider it a public service." Julia said lying down.

"What's you punishment?"

"We don't know yet." Said Lily. "Hopefully nothing bad."

* * *

"Who the hell's knocking?" James asked as he placed his cards down. "We weren't that loud where we?"

"Just tell who ever it is to go away." Sirius said biting into his liquorice wand. James opened the door and saw Dorcas standing there.

"Dorcas?" James looked either side of her to make sure she was alone.

"Are you ok?"

"I need to talk." Dorcas said quietly.

"Well why don't you come in?" James said inviting her in.

"No, not here." Said Dorcas. "It's about what happened today."

"Yeah, that was funny." Said James. James frowned at Dorcas's face that was still sad. "Hey…" James brought his hand to her cheek and made her look up. Her blue eyes where sad, like the weight of the world was on her shoulders.

"James! Are you coming back?" James's face softened.

"No." He said. "I'll be back in a moment."

"Well shut the damn door!" James shook his as he walked out and closed the door. He placed his arm round Dorcas as she leaned into him and led her downstairs to the common room. Dorcas sat down on the sofa opposite the fire while James placed a few more logs on. He joined her on the sofa.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" James asked.

"I wanted to talk about Harriet." Dorcas said. James sighed.

"Let me guess, Bellatrix brought that up?" Dorcas nodded. "That's why you cursed her."

"Well… it was Lily who cursed her." James laughed to himself. "She barely knows Bellatrix."

"She's not the impulsive type."

"She said she did it because she has my back."

"You know, you go on about her not opening up to you, but you don't open up to her either. Maybe you should this over with her." Dorcas frowned and looked up at James.

"I do open up to her." she said.

"Not about this." James said shaking his head. "If you want her to trust you, you need to throw her a bone."

"But…this is Harriet." Dorcas said quietly. "In time, yeah. But right now I just need to talk to you about it. You and me knew her better than anyone."

"We did."

"Do you remember when we all pranked that narky old nanny?" James did remember, he had been regaled this story and told it numerous time over the years, a part of him didn't really want to bring up old wounds again, but he could see that Dorcas was upset and needed talking to.

"Tell me again."

* * *

Alec finally got to the top of the stairs and swore under his breath, his knee really was the bane of his existence right now. He was ready to just collapse into bed but he saw one of the bedroom doors open. Not James's, but Harriet's.

Alec walked along the landing, his hand pressed up against the wall for balance. When he got to the door he pushed it open more and saw Katherine sitting on the bed.

They hadn't cleared the room out since Harriet had died. It was just too painful to bring up bad memories. The room was painted red with a small bed that had a white veil along the top that Katherine was sitting on.

"Oh. Alec." Katherine wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"I didn't hear you." She went to stand up.

"No, sit down." Alec said hobbling to the bed and sitting down to on the bed and looked around the room. He looked down at the doll Katherine had in her hands, Harriet's favourite, she turned it over in her hands and breathed out heavily.

"Every time James goes to school I think about Harri." Katherine said looking round the room. "Why doesn't the pain just go away?" she asked looking at Alec. Alec put his arm round her.

"I don't think the pain ever will go away." He said. "It just gets easier to deal with over time."

"I miss her and I miss James to." Katherine said. "I've been so used to having people here that the days are so long now without anyone.

"You have me now." Katherine laughed.

"Yeah, I suppose I do, only took me a few decades to."

"Come on, let's go to bed."

"You go ahead." Katherine said now looking around the room. "I want to stay in here a bit longer."

"Can I stay to?" Katherine nodded and Alec pulled her closer to him and stroked her hair. He missed her to.

* * *

John woke up and felt beside him and felt nothing. He sighed and turned over and saw the empty space that his hand now occupied. He frowned a little and then looked again to the door.

Once again, a thin beam of light emanated from beyond the door in the hallway. John pulled the duvet off and opened the door into the hallway. He then walked to Lily's room and opened the door and saw Lavender sitting on Lily's bed.

He didn't say a word, he just walked over and sat down next to her on the bed and hugged her round her shoulder and kissed her temple.

"I can't believe she's gone." Said Lavender shaking her head, her voice light from tears. "It's not like she was home at all."

"Don't cry, she'll be home before you know it." John said reassuringly. Lavender made a sort of accepting sound that didn't sound convincing. John hugged her tighter as she cried into his shoulder.

* * *

Lily opened her eyes and rubbed the sleep from them. She instantly closed them and turned in her sleeps and pulled the duvet around her.

"I don't need to pee." She said. "I am the master of my own bladder." She pulled her legs up to her torso but the need was to strong now. She grumpily threw the duvet off her bed and got up, she drew back the curtains of her four poster and stretched as the autumn sun lit the other six beds that had their curtains firmly closed.

Lily picked up the clock on her bed side table. 6:30.

"Damn." Said Lily putting it down and running her hands through her hair. She got up and walked to the bathroom.

Later she walked back to her bed and climbed back under the sheets. She smiled, it was nice to be back. But now she had gone to the toilet she was wide awake, closing her eyes was more painful than anything else because she was so alert. She tried everything, turning over, on her back, on her front, swapping the pillow to the cool side.

In the end she just resigned herself to the fact that she wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon. While she was awake she could always put something in her diary.

 _Dear Diary_

 _Well, here we are, back at Hogwarts after what feels like a lifetime away from this place. My bed is still as comfortable as ever and it's so nice to be with all my friends again, and hopefully make some new ones in the year below._

 _Although one person I will not be associating myself with is this new girl in our year, Bellatrix Black. Even though she didn't say it out right, I knew she wanted to call me a mudblood. But the way she wound Dorcas up scared me a little._

 _Even in the short time I've known Dorcas she always keeps her cool and never rises to the bait of anyone else. But seeing her so angry and in pain scared me a little, and I backed her up with a bat bogey hex which has landed me with my first and only detention._

 _I'm sure mum would be so proud._

Lily stopped writing and breathed out slightly. Her mum.

 _I miss home as well now I'm here. I miss going downstairs knowing my mum has made me a bacon sandwich, or will ruffle my and kiss me good morning. I know these feelings will only be fleeting, they always are. Maybe one day it'll get easier to deal with._

Lily finished writing and placed the pen back in the binder of her diary and looked over at the clock again. 7:10am.

Lily got her radio and walked to the bathroom. She placed it on the sinks and turned it on.

"Good Morning I'm Ray Moore and this is BBC radio 2 to start you of this morning, we'll start you off with some Starlight vocal band. The room filled with the soft plucking of guitar strings.

"Oh I love this song."

Lily started the shower and darted inside. She liked the feel of the instantly hot water on her body rather than wait for it at home.

"Gonna find my baby gonna hold her tight, gonna have some afternoon, deliiiiight." She wetted her hair.

"My motto's always been when it's right its right why wait until the middle of a cold dark night." She squirted shampoo into her hand.

"When…everything's a little clearer in the light dayyyyyyy." She rubbed her hands together.

"Annnnnnnd we know the nights always going to be there anywayyyyyyyy!" she started rubbing it into her hair.

"Thinkin' of you's workin' up my appetite looking forward to a little afternoon delight rubbin' sticks and stones together make the sparks ignite and the thought of rubbin' you is getting so exciting."

"Lily."

"Skyyyyyyy rockets in flight!"

"Pow!"

"Afternoon delighhhhhht!"

"Lily!"

"Annnnnnnd afternoon delighhhhhht!"

"LILY!"

Lily jumped in shock. She cursed under her breath and looked over the door to see Marlene with a bird nest of hair looking very grumpily at her. "Not that I don't enjoy your singing but right now isn't the time, do you even know what that song is about?"

"No…"

"Best you don't ask." Said Marlene as she got into the cubicle next to Lily who was now feeling slightly exposed, she'd forgotten that she now had to share a shower block with six other girls, one more reason why she missed home.

"How did you sleep?"

"Fine, thank you." said Lily now loathing her hair up. "And you?"

"Ok." Said Marlene round a yawn. "Seems a little weird to be back doesn't it?"

"Yeah…a little." Said Lily. "Nice to be back though."

"Oh yeah, brilliant." Marlene said round a yawn. Lily did miss home now.

Lily finished changing and her Julia, Dorcas and Marlene made their way to the great hall where everyone was eating and getting ready for the day ahead, from the battle weary seventh years to the excited first years who were thrilled to be here.

Lily sat down and started to make herself a fruit salad, not wanting a bacon sandwich just yet.

"What do think of the new defence against the dark arts teacher?" Asked Marlene, her gaze enticed at the teachers table.

"You like him?" asked Julia.

"I don't know that, I haven't had a lesson with him yet." Said Marlene appalled. Lily looked at Dorcas who just raised her eyebrows and went back to her porridge. Lily didn't really know what to think about him. Lily couldn't help but think that he had a cockiness about him that the other professor's didn't like. Since he was eating alone and the others were talking happily.

"I heard he was a famous curse breaker." Said Isabel, just taking her seat next to Dorcas. "Got shunted out because no one likes him."

"I bet he's really smart though." Said Marlene. "He must have some very interesting stories, what do you think Lily?" Damn, where they talking to her?

"Uhm…" She pulled a face looking over at him. "I think the fact that he is eating alone kinda tells you what the other professor's think of him." All the girls looked over, they clearly hadn't cottoned on to that fact just yet.

"Oh yeah." Said Dorcas. "Do you reckon he told Slughorn you aren't the potion prodigy he thought you were."

"What!"

"Or maybe he told Professor Flitwick its Leviosa, not leviosar." Said Mary.

"Or told Professor McGonagall that dogs are better." Said Marlene. They giggled at the absurdity of it.

"Hello girls." They all turned sharply to see professor McGonagall. "Glad to see you're all happy and cheerful."

"Yes Professor." Said Lily smiling broadly.

"Well here are your timetables for the year." Said McGonagall handing out some pieces of paper.

"How are you finding things her Miss Tottenham?" McGonagall asked as she handed Julia her timetable.

"Fine." She said. "Everyone's been really helpful."

"Well that's great to hear. And I'm sure you'll find out about Professor Helsing later on today." She said. "And I'm sure Professor Flitwick will be thrilled that you are paying attention in charms Miss McKinnon."

"Thanks Professor." Marlene blushed as she took her timetable.

"While you're all here, you haven't seen the Gryffindor first year boys have you? The fifth years couldn't find them anywhere this morning?"

"Maybe you should ask them Professor." said Lily pointing over to where Potter and his friends were sitting.

"Yeah, they look far too happy for their own good." Said Dorcas. McGonagall nodded and then moved swiftly over to them. Lily looked down her timetable, there were more lessons on their than last time.

"More lessons than last year." Said Marlene. "I'm going to miss those Friday afternoons off."

"Well we have DADA first. Time to see what Professor Helsing's really like." Said Isabel.

"You left them where!" They all turned to see McGonagall by Potter and his friends.

"It was only for a laugh." Potter said casually.

"Well we might need a long weight for potions." Said Potter as innocently as he could.

"It's throwing it down with rain!" said McGonagall loudly, she turned and walked briskly out of the great hall while the boys were laughing.

"So immature." Said Lily as she placed some melon in her mouth.

"Who is he?" Julia asked looking over.

"James Potter." Lily said through her mouthful.

"Huh." Julia said lightly, a small smile forming on her face. "And his friend, the other black haired one?"

"Sirius."

"Sirius." she said lightly.

"It is kinda funny." Said Mary agreed. Lily shook her head and opened her paper.

"Has Dracula always been a pain in the butt?" she asked.

"Not for a while." Said Dorcas. "It seems strange that someone would resurrect him now."

"Can't he die?"

"Dracula can't technically die." Explained Dorcas. "He's lord of the undead, how do you kill something that cannot be killed?"

"So there trying to negotiate with him?" Lily said confused. "Why, why don't they put him in stasis again?"

"Easier said than done." Said Dorcas getting to her feet. "Come on, where need to go to DADA." Lily sighed and placed the newspaper in her bag and followed her friends out of the great hall.

They waited outside the classroom, the usually clear window on the door had been bordered up.

"I wonder why it's bordered up?" Lily asked.

"Stop people peering in?" Suggested Dorcas.

"Hey Evans!" Lily turned to see a couple of older Slytherin's walking past. "You better watch your back, I hear Bellatrix is itching for a shot at you!"

"Yeah, see if you can take her without your little double act!" The other said looking at Dorcas.

"Keep walking." Lily turned to see Potter standing in front of them. "Maybe Bellatrix might be brave enough to make her own threats next time." The Slytherin's soured and then sulked away.

"Thanks Potter." Lily said in an irritated voice. James turned round at the frosty tone to her voice. "But I can handle myself."

"I'm sorry it's just that-"

"It's just what? I don't need you looking out for me." Lily said rearranging her books.

"Sorry." Potter said. "I won't bother next time." He walked away shaking his head. Lily blew a piece of stray hair out of her face and then placed it behind her ear.

"That was a tad uncalled for." Dorcas said.

"He should know that I can take care of myself." Lily said hotly. "I'm not some naïve first year, I bloody helped him take down Robert Murdoch last year."

"True." Julia said. "But you don't know Bellatrix Black. And she's on the inside rather than the outside."

"Ok, granted." Lily said begrudgingly. "But Potter should know that I can look after myself and not swoop in like some knight in shining armour at every god given moment."

"Jesus Lily." Dorcas said laughing slightly. "If I knew any better then I would of said you didn't have a crush on him last year."

"I got over it." Lily said dismissively. Dorcas nodded but her smile said that she wasn't convinced.

"Maybe you just dream of being his damsel in distress." She said quietly while smirking. Lily turned and glared at her amused friend. She was about to reply but the door swiftly opened where Professor Helsing stood.

"Come in, all of you!" The voice was sharp and brisk. Lily looked at Dorcas and followed Helsing into the classroom. It had changed a lot from Professor Heath's room last year. The sides of the room where covered in bookshelves all the way up to the ceiling.

Helsing walked briskly to an armchair at the front of the room and sat down, his blue eyes scanning the children before him.

"You will sit boy girl in alternate houses, there are enough of you to do that, proceed." He sat down in the arm chair and crossed his legs. He pressed his fingertips together and rested them on the tip on his nose. He looked up at the confused children.

"Boy, girl, alternate houses, now!" They all scuttled off. Lily decided to sit near the front of the room, she couldn't sit next to her friends, or anyone from her house. Looks like would be plunged into the abyss of making friends with someone she didn't know. A blonde haired boy sat down next to her.

"Hi, I'm…I'm Guy, Guy Arnold." He said. He sounded very nervous, he looked down at his feet and then held out his hand to shake it. Lily smiled.

"Hi Guy, I'm Lily." she said shaking his hand.

"I know who you are." He suddenly went bright red. "I mean, I knew you, no I mean, I saw you, no, I mean I heard about what happened to you with Murdoch and…" He trailed off, clearly thinking that he'd messed up and said something stupid.

"Lots of people heard." Said Lily, "It's fine, you shouldn't look embarrassed." He just nodded and looked to the front. Odd thought Lily, but, likeable.

"I suppose a lot of you are wondering why I've had you seated like this." Helsing opened his eyes.

"And no Mister Potter it isn't to flirt with other people in your year." The whole class looked back to see Potter and a brunette, the brunette looked sheepishly back to her work while Potter just smiled that naughty boy smile.

"You are seated like this because it will apparently get you to make friends outside your social circle. I personally have never seen the appeal in it."

"Why's that Professor?" It was Potter's voice.

"Because apparently it will broaden you horizons, as you pointed out earlier, you should ask her out, she likes you."

"I do not!"

"Sorry dear but the playing with your hair, the higher octaves of your voice and the increased heart rate."

"What?"

"Of course, Pre-Teens." Helsing said shaking his head. "If you want to know about me, my name is Gabriel Helsing, I was a profiler for the Auror's, worked for them for nearly twenty years before I worked as a curse breaker in South America retired, why am I here? I'm here because Dumbledore asked me. Now, get out your books, and your parchment and quills, read chapters one to two of Dracula, friend or foe and then write down all relevant notes, in silence, you have half an hour."

Lily got her things out and opened the book. Good, she wanted to find out about Dracula, maybe this is what they were looking at for most of the year, dangerous beasts and where to find them.

 _Dracula is one of the most feared and most dangerous men the natural world. Born Vladimir Dracul, Vlad was born in Sighișoara, Voivodeship of Transylvania, Kingdom of Hungary (today part of Romania), in the winter of 1431 to Vlad II Dracul._

 _Vlad's father was the son of the celebrated General Major Mircea the Elder. His mother is unknown, though at the time his father was believed to have been married to Princess Cneajna of Moldavia (eldest daughter of Alexander "The Great", Prince of Moldavia and aunt to Stephen the Great of Moldavia) but also was known to have kept a number of mistresses._

 _In the year of his birth, Vlad's father travelled to Nuremberg, where he was then vested into the Order of the Dragon, a fellowship of knights sworn to defend Christianity against the encroaching Ottoman and European Empires._

 _In his early years Vlad spent his early formative years in Transylvania being schooled in the art of war by the major generals of the army._

 _Vlad is believed to have learned combat skills, geography, mathematics, science, languages (Old Church Slavonic, German, Latin), as well as the classical arts and philosophy for the era._

 _At 13, Vlad and his brother Radu were held as political hostages by the Ottoman Turks. During his years as hostage, Vlad was educated in logic, the Quran, and the Turkish language and works of literature. He would speak these languages fluently in his later years. He and his brother were also trained in warfare and horsemanship._

 _Despite increasing his cultural capital with the Ottomans, Vlad was not at all pleased to be in Turkish hands. He was resentful and very jealous of his little brother, who soon earned the nickname Radu cel Frumos, or "Radu the Handsome"._

 _Radu was well behaved and quickly earned the friendship of Sultan Murad's son, Mehmet; he eventually converted to Islam and entered Ottoman service. Conversely, Vlad was defiant and constantly punished for his impudence. It has been suggested that his traumatic experiences among the Ottomans may have moulded him into the sadistic man he grew up to be, especially in regards to his penchant for impaling._

"Eww." Lily still wrote down the notes though. She sympathised with him on a level, she didn't like being a hostage as well.

"Seems a bit shady doesn't he?" said Guy.

"Sure does." Said Lily.

"Mister Arnold I think Miss Evans wants to get on with her work and not have you pester her." said Helsing.

"Oh, he isn't pestering me Professor." Said Lily brightly, "He was just asking me a question."

"Hmmm." Helsing closed his eyes. "In future Mister Arnold you will direct your questions to me and not to your new gal pal who barely has much experience as you." The room was silent for a moment, but only because Lily was shocked at what he had just said.

"Excuse me but you can't make that assumption." Said Lily with an appalled look on her face. "I could be just as capable."

Helsing laughed and rose from his chair. "Of course I'm sure you've read your book cover to cover." He turned round to head to the stairs to his office.

Lily huffed and moved some hair behind her ear and started scribble down her notes. Muttering how he could give Potter a run for his money in the arrogance stakes. She looked over at Guy who was still blushing.

"Sorry…I didn't mean to-"

"Its fine, you weren't pestering me." She said kindly.

* * *

"He's an arrogant, self-centred egotistical…idiot!" said Lily as she walked out of the lesson. "Who the hell does he think he is, questioning my intelligence!"

"Lily, calm down." Said Dorcas putting an arm round her shoulder. "You can't let these sorts of people get to you."

"He's such a…such a-"

"Prick?"

"Yes Marlene!" said Lily. "God, he's just so, ooooooo!" She tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"I heard red heads were feisty by nature but you take it to another level." Said Mary.

"You know, you're right, I'm just going ignore him." said Lily.

"For the rest of the year."

"That's not going to work is it?" said Lily.

"No." said Dorcas. "But the teacher has changed every year for the last two decades so you might be lucky."

"I hope so." Said Lily. "What do we have next?"

"Potions with your boy pal."

"My 'boy pal'?"

"Yeah, Snape." Said Isabel. "And before you say anything he's not your boyfriend, remember." Lily scowled.

"Fine." She said. "You never know, I just might bump into that Bellatick-"

"Bellatrix."

"Whatever, then that would cap off this perfect day!" Lily said as they approached the dungeon. Lily walked in and saw that Sev was already there waiting for her.

"Why do you sit next him again?" Marlene asked. "He's a bit, you know."

"He's misunderstood." Lily said. "Besides, he's not like other Slytherin's."

"Sometimes she's too trusting for her own good." Isabel said as Lily walked over towards Snape. "And he gives me the creeps. Have you seen how he looks at her when she's with us, it's almost possessive." She shuddered. "Greedy."

"We can't force her to dump him." said Dorcas. "Although I'm sure he'll muck it up."

"Then we make sure she doesn't go back." Said Isabel. "Good plan Dorc."

"We'll see…" Dorcas said slumping on the desk.

"I heard what happened between you and Bellatrix." Sev said in a quiet voice.

"Well I didn't exactly make it private." Lily said as she got her things out.

"She wasn't happy."

"Well she shouldn't say such hurtful things." Lily said, as she finished Bellatrix walked in. She narrowed her eyes at Lily and walked to the back of the room, making sure her eyes where boring holes in the back of her head.

"She holds grudges doesn't she." Lily mused.

"She says she's gonna get you."

"She hasn't kept that private either." Said Lily. "I'm not scared."

"She does tend to be a little…unpredictable." Sev said uneasily.

"Sev, I can look after myself, unpredictable or not I can handle whatever she can throw at me, I know how to deal with bullies, remember." Sev didn't say anything right away.

"Just be careful." Lily sighed and held her tongue, she then breathed out.

"Ok…" she said, drawing the word out. "I'll be careful."

"Hello second years!" Professor Slughorn boomed as he walked in. "We have a very busy year ahead so why don't you open your potions book to a Mandrake charm and take notes down on the process." Lily felt a piece of paper fly past her ear and onto the bench. She started at it for a moment and then looked over her shoulder as discreetly as possible to see where it had come from. She picked it up with trembling hands and opened it.

 _Watch your every step mudblood, not every corner of this castle is light._

As soon as Lily finished the note crackled and disintegrated into dust. Lily knew instantly who sent it now. She was going to have to be careful.

"You ok?" Lily turned to Sev.

"Fine." She said, looking down uneasily at the dust on the note.

"Just fine…"

 **The Marauders Proudly Present Lily Evans in The Marauders: Year Two**

 **Chapter Eleven**

 **Afternoon Delights**

 **Written By Chambers10**


	12. Chapter 12

**The Marauders Proudly Present James Potter and Lily Evans in: The Marauders Year Two**

 **Chapter Twelve**

 **F.E.A.R**

 **Written By Chambers10**

"Please state your name and rank for the assembled please."

"Alastor Moody, Auror."

"And how long have you been in the Law Enforcement department for?"

"Thirty years."

"And…how long have you known the accused for?"

"All that time."

Today was the day of Alec's hearing for supposedly being in league with Robert Murdoch. They were in a small hearing room. It was a circular hall with a chair in the middle of the room where witnesses stood and then the high bench where the Chairmen of the Independent Internal Law Enforcement Complaints Commission sat to preside of cases like this. The room had a black and gold decor that was prominent where Alec was sitting in the public gallery. The three chairmen had sat down and where now preparing to take evidence.

"So…tell us about him."

"It's been all over the papers. Surely you know." Moody replied.

"It's just a formality."

"…Fine. He's the best Auror we have, better than any muggle secret agent. He is the real life James Bond."

"Do you know of his past with Robert Murdoch?" The chairmen on the left asked as he scribbled down some notes.

"Some. But not all of it, he keeps himself to himself when it comes to his past."

"Tells us what you do know then."

"…He told me that he was doing some wet work back then. He had only been in the department for about four years, they were on the trial of Grindewald Loyalists."

"They?"

"Yeah, Alec and his Mentor, Teddy Stone." There were soft murmurings from the stand.

"After his downfall he only had a handful of loyalists, one of them being Murdoch. Teddy had him track him as Murdoch was the most vocal. He wished to carry on what he had started and was deemed the most dangerous."

"And this was done as a mission?"

"More of a test. A test of everything he'd learned."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. We are close but not that close."

"When was the next time you know that Mr Potter encountered him?"

"Fourteen or so years ago. We knew he was building an empire but we could never place find him or track him until this one time."

"Where was it?"

"Nightelms docks. A shipment of illegal magic paraphernalia and muggle girls from Asia." One of the chairmen flipped a piece of paper.

"And he evaded capture again it says here."

"He did…ma'am."

"After a chase I believe as well…"

"Alec wounded him."

"The fused eye?"

"Yes."

"I see…well, Auror Moody, I now have to ask you some more questions."

"Go ahead."

"You are very vague about his interactions with Murdoch. Do you believe that Alec Potter might have worked with him at all?"

"That's a very serious allegation. I do hope you have evidence to support that claim."

"We are trying to. Hence why we have called you here."

"Alec has never worked for anyone other than The Ministry. Why would he want to work with Murdoch, what would he have to gain?"

"That reasoning remains unclear."

"Maybe for political gain." One of the other Chairmen interjected. "A lot of rumours have gone around recently that he wishes to stand for a more prominent position."

"Media gossip. Alec isn't political."

"Murdoch could provide substantial backing."

"You don't having anything on him, do you?"

"Madam Umbridge has assured us that there is evidence to be found."

"You won't find any."

"Is that because he's covered it up already?"

"No, because he doesn't operate like that." Moody said. "Let me ask you something."

"I don't know what that'll achieve?"

"I could think of something, why would Murdoch kidnap his partner's son if they were working together?" The chairmen where silent.

"…I'm not sure…" The lead finally replied.

"Because they weren't working together."

"But the time scale?"

"The time scale is irrelevant." Moody said sharply. "With cases like this evidence comes as it is found. Murdoch revealed himself to Alec, which made him easier to track down. Taking his son as well provided more clues to his whereabouts."

"So…"

"You could haul every person in the department in here and you will be told the same thing. Alec Potter would never work with Murdoch or anyone like that. For god's sake do you know who his father was? The pioneer behind the Muggleborn Rights act? Why would he side with someone who wants to destroy that?"

The court was eerily silent as the chairman of the inquiry lifted a sheet of paper, the reverberating around the room.

"Please just put him back on active service. We need him now more than ever, with the attack on the Boulevard and these Sons of Salazar attacking Muggle borns and the supposed resurrection of Dracula, we need our best resources."

The chairmen looked to one another and then back at Moody. The lead chairmen then looked over at Umbridge who was scowling at Moody, her plan to embroil Alec in a scheme now failing before her eyes.

"You are excused Auror Moody. Thank you for your time." Moody got up and walked to the doorway at the back of the room.

"The Inquiry recalls Jane Umbridge to the stand." The Chairmen said. Alec smirked at her horrified and appalled expression on her face. She quickly recomposed herself and walked to the chair in the middle of the room.

"Madam Umbridge, you brought this case to trial saying we could find unrefuteable evidence of the accused being in league with Robert Murdoch. After hearing the evidence so far, I'm not really convinced that anything of the sort has happened at all."

"Mr Chairmen-" He held his hand for silence.

"Speak when spoken to in my chamber Madam Umbridge, need I remind you." The chairman said sternly.

"For the record of the court, please state why it is in this inquiries best interest to carry on?" Umbridge went to talk but didn't.

"Mr Chairmen, if you look at my report."

"Your report states that the time scale of this mission was longer than any of his other missions and thus has indicates that the accused has something to hide." The chairman said loudly. "And that there would be conclusive evidence if we delved in further." He placed the report down.

"Madam Umbridge I've not heard anything that can or could support these claims." He said. "It is my opinion that Mr Potter has acted accordingly within the guidelines set out by the ministry when comes to the Auror's and their activities."

"In light of the overwhelming evidence, we deem Alec Potter innocent of all charges and to resume active service in the Auror Corp when his medical leave is deemed over. The motion carries."

He banged the hammer down. "In light of the recent events, especially those at the Boulevard where Mr Potter apprehended Robert Thompson, it has shown that we now, more than ever need to expertise of these talented and brave individuals to stop serious threats on our soil."

"And a warning to Madam Umbridge. For future reference, when bringing a case like this, we remind her to have sufficient evidence rather circumstantial in a trail that could cause serious defamation of a person's credibility and rank." Umbridge scowled more, she got up briskly from her chair and then exited the chamber along with her secretary.

"You are free to resume your duties Mr Potter." The chairmen stood up from their chairs and walked away.

"That was a close one." Moody said turning to Alec. "I'm surprised it went on for that long."

"She'll lick her wounds and then come back." Alec said untroubled. "The only question is when." Moody nodded.

"What have you got planned now?" Asked Moody.

"My brothers asked me to do something for him." Alec said.

"What does Tim want now?" Alec smirked.

"I need to speak to Robert Thompson." Alec said.

"…Oh boy…"

* * *

"I hope you're grateful for this!" Lily said under her breath as she was filing away books in the library. "I thought I'd never get a detention."

"We got of lightly." Dorcas said laughing. "Who gets to file away books for a detention?"

"McGonagall's and Slughorn Favourite." Lily said winking. Dorcas snorted and then giggled along with Lily.

"Girls." Madame Prince looked round the corner. "You're here to do a job, not to mess around."

"Sorry Ma'am." Lily said biting her lip to stifle a giggle. Madame Prince looked sternly at the two of them and then walked away. Lily and Dorcas went into giggles again went back to placing the books away.

"I was hoping for something a little more barbaric." They both turned and saw Bellatrix standing at the end of the aisle.

"Bugger off Bellatrix." Dorcas said.

"I really should say to McGonabitch that you two are having fun instead of learning your lesson."

"Hexing in self-defence?" Dorcas replied.

"Same old Dorcas still can't take a joke." Bellatrix then looked over at Lily who found herself getting embarrassed and looked away.

"Aw, she gets scared, how adorable." Bellatrix said almost sweetly. "Not so tough when your friend isn't up for the fight."

Lily went to retort but found that her mouth was dry. She stood there with an open mouth looking stupid in her mind. Bellatrix laughed at her…it felt like being back at primary school all over again. She could feel her skin flush in embarrassment.

"Aww, what's the matter Evans. Getting a little hot under the collar?"

"Lily doesn't need to speak to you!" Dorcas said standing in front of Lily. "Why don't you run along and sulk, it's all you've ever been good at!" Bellatrix swallowed hard.

"Miss Black?" Bellatrix turned round and saw Madam Prince behind her. "Why are you distracting these girls from their detention?"

"Sorry." Bellatrix said sweetly. "I was just leaving." She turned back to Lily and Dorcas. She then swiftly left the library.

"Get back to your work girls." Madam Prince said. She walked away and Lily breathed out heavily. Dorcas placed a hand on Lily's shoulder.

"You ok Lily?"

"Fine." Lily said shortly, she could feel tears stinging her eyes. She picked up a book, just trying to get on with the detention. She wiped her eyes impatiently and placed it on the shelf.

"Ok." Dorcas went back to her stack but looked worryingly over her shoulder at Lily. Lily though just wanted to whole world to swallow her whole. She didn't want to be bullied like that again.

* * *

"When you said your dad had got you a new broom I thought it would be something money could actually buy." Sirius said as James pulled out the broomstick. He handed it to Sirius who held it in one hand and ran his hand over the handle with the other like it had an invisible force filed round it.

"I can't believe I'm actually holding a Nimbus Wronski. Does Wood know you've got one?"

"Not yet." James said as he stripped to his boxers, he rummaged round his chest of drawers and pulling out his new Quidditch armour. "I thought I'd leave it as little surprise for everyone."

"Have you ridden it yet?"

"No, that's what I'm going to now." James said as he clipped his chest plate on and pulled his Puddlemere shirt over his head.

 **McAnuff**

 **7**

"Fancy coming down to see it?" James asked.

"Does a hippogriff shit in the woods?"

It was the first weekend of term and James found himself having some free time. Homework that should be done was at the back of his mind.

They made their way down to the birch tree where Remus and the girls from the rest of the year were doing their work in the unusually warm September sun.

"Why are you all dressed up?" Dorcas asked as James and Sirius came down excitedly down the steps.

"James is testing out his new broom." Sirius said.

"Do you really need your pads on for that?" Isabel asked.

"This is no ordinary broom Izzy." James said. He mounted it and prepped himself. "He looked over at them.

"You might want to step back." They all stood back. "Maybe a little bit more." James then kicked off the ground, causing it the splinter and crack as he shot off into the air.

"Whoa!" Everyone then moved in closer, in absolute awe of the sheer power that was shown from the broom.

Lily was the one that went forward more, her raid hair and skirt fluttering in the wind, to see the small speck that was Potter up in the sky.

James hadn't expected the sheer power of the broom to come out like that. The broom though was shaking violently as he rose higher. James then tried to straighten up but the broom veered sharply to the left.

He was just about able to keep on but it was still having a life of its own. It then veered to the right and threw him off. James heard gasping and a scream as he hurtled towards the murky waters of the black lake. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the water. He needed to get this right.

"BUTIO!" Powerful sound waves started to come out his wand onto the water. As he was about to hit the surface and put it away, and dived into the water. James swam a couple of feet before rising up and shook his head. He looked over at the shore line where everyone from his year was. James closed his eyes and grimaced at the pain, and the realisation he's made himself look like a huge prat. He went to paddle with his right shoulder but then cried out in pain, he couldn't move it.

He kicked his way to the shore where Sirius was to help pull him up.

"You ok?" he asked. "You fell over fifty feet." James just grunted as he pulled himself up and then rolled over onto the grass.

"James, hello, are you listening to me?" Sirius asked moving into his line of sight, and blocking the sun from his view.

"I'm enjoying the sun." James mumbled.

"Well, that was eventful." James turned his head to the voice and saw Evans coming over towards him. "What happened?"

"It was unstable." James said pushing himself up so he was sitting. He went to place both hands on the ground but the grunted again. He looked down and saw his shoulder was dislocated, again.

"You need to go to the hospital wing." Sirius said going to touch it.

"Bugger off." James said swatting his hand. He groaned and could feel his chest bruising.

"Potter, you need to go the hospital wing." Evans said kneeling down next him. She placed some stray hair behind her ear which James couldn't help but watch. "Is that the one you dislocated last time?"

"Yeah." James said quietly now looking down at it.

"And you could do with a shower to."

"Why?" James asked.

"Because you smell like a wet dog." Evans said getting to her feet and walking back over to the girls who were all looking over at him. She must have said something because they then all turned round and giggled at him. She smiled into her shoulder and then turned round fully.

"Come on." Sirius said trying to get him up.

"Where's my broom?" James asked.

"Right here." Sirius said tapping it with his foot. "It fell down not long after you. And it's fine. Sirius said, sensing his question. James pulled himself up and picked his broom up. Giggling.

He turned his head sharply to the girls who were looking at him again. He noticed Evans looking at him with a smile prying on her lips.

Hmmmm… she had quite nice li-

"Come on." Sirius dragged him away and they giggled again. James could see Bellatrix now walking down towards the birch tree. Great, just what he needed.

"Oh James are you hurt?" Bellatrix asked sweetly coming up to him. "Cousin." She acknowledged as a brief after thought.

"I'm fine." James said. "You're in my way."

"No need to be angsty." She said. "Maybe I can-"

"No, thank you." Sirius said. "Haven't you got a small animal to torture or something?"

"And aren't you just the barrel of sunshine."

"When it comes to you, always." Sirius said. "Come on James."

He led James up the steps to the castle and to the hospital wing. James looked back over his shoulder and saw Bellatrix stalk away from them. She was walking close to the birch tree, James stopped.

"James what are you-"

"Shh!" James watched Bellatrix walk past, she looked over at the Gryffindor girls and James could see some of them tense. Particularly those li-

"Come on!" Sirius dragged him away from them

"What do you think was wrong with it?" Sirius asked.

"It just wouldn't let me do anything." James said. "Every time I tried to turn it wouldn't and when I wanted it to go in a straight line it always veered off course." They arrived outside the hospital wing.

"Well you need to sharpen it up soon." Sirius said as they walked in. "The try outs are in a few days."

"I know." Said James.

"Potter?" Madam Pomfrey came sweeping into the room. "What on earth have you been up to?"

"Flying accident." James said as Madam Pomfrey helped him onto the bed. "I think I dislocated my shoulder again. Pomfrey took one look at it.

"Yes, you have." She said moving away from James and getting her wand out. She pointed it at his shoulder. "You know the drill." James grimaced and held on to one of the railings with his good hand.

"One, two, three."

KRAKK!

"Umph." James grimaced.

"Well done." She said. "You're free to go, unless you have any more aliments?"

"No, thanks." James said getting up.

"Maybe they should check you for a concussion." Sirius said.

"Potter, I hope you're not going to be trying to ride that broom of yours!" Madam Pomfrey shouted after her. "You need to rest your shoulder!"

"Wouldn't dream of it!" James shouted.

"Black you are responsible for keeping him off that thing!"

"Easier said than done." Sirius said as he walked out after James. "Tell me you're not seriously going to try and fly that thing again."

"It was a blip." James said. "One time thing." He walked out into the sun shine and mounted the broom again. He stared up at the sky and kicked off the ground and shot up into the sky. He did a couple of spins and went to fly down towards Sirius.

"See, just a-" The broom stopped and threw him off and to the ground. He rolled on the ground and hit the steps.

"That hurt."

"Come on Tarzan on your feet." Sirius said helping James up and taking his broom away.

* * *

Lily turned sharply round the corner, her back was flush on the wall and she was panting. She closed her eyes tight and pulled her books to her body, waiting, waiting for the sound of safety.

"Have you got something planned for her?"

"I mean you're not going to just let her get away with it, are you?"

"Nah, you won't Bellatrix…will you?"

"Don't be stupid." Bellatrix laughed. "I'll get that mudblood when the time is right and not before." The footsteps echoed away from the dungeons up towards the castle above. Lily breathed out a sigh of relief and waited. In about two minutes Slughorn was going to open the doors to his class and let everyone in, she could sneak in during the rush. But right now, all she could do was wait…

Lily looked down at her feet. She promised herself that she was not going to fall into the same out habits again like she did at Primary School. But hiding down the corridor waiting for her class to go in so she could walk to her seat under the safety of a teachers gaze was something that had an eerie familiarity to it.

She breathed out and twisted the tip of her toe nervously into the ground.

"Evans?" Lily jumped. She turned and saw Potter coming down the stairs, he was pulling on a jumper but looked like he'd been in a warzone. "I thought you'd be itching to get to potions."

"Oh! I urgh…" Lily faltered, she didn't have an excuse ready. Turn the tables damn it!

"Me? What about you?" She said looking at a plaster above his eyebrow. "Have you been fighting again?"

"You sound like my mother." He said chuckling. "No, me and my broom stick had a fight…it won." Lily winced.

"I didn't realise they could be so…bruising." She said noticing a nasty one forming on his shoulder. Potter shrugged.

"So, what about you?" He implored. "Why are you here?"

"Just…waiting, for someone?" She hoped that was convincing enough.

"Are you hiding from someone?"

"No!"

"Ah, there it is." Potter winked at her.

"It was Bellatrix, wasn't it?"

"No!" Lily repeated. She blew the loose bang out of her face and placed it behind her ear. "I'm not scared of her, and I certainly don't hide from her!" She turned firmly on her heel on stormed off towards the classroom.

"Evans!" Potter was jogging behind her. "I'm sorry."

"Don't Potter." Lily said coldly. "You can't read everything about everyone you know." She was annoyed that he was able to knock the nail on the head. She class was already making its way inside, perfect.

"I didn't mean to." Lily stopped and closed her eyes in frustration. She turned to face him.

"Apology accepted."

"I didn't-"

"It was as good as." Lily said turning round and walking into the class room. She could hear Potter chuckling behind her and then he walked in as well. Lily sat down next to Sev.

"You ok?" He asked. "You weren't outside?"

"Yeah, just running a little late." Lily said now smiling, even though it seemed to take more effort than usual.

"Ok class get out your things and we can start on making spot removing potion!" Lily and Sev got there things out.

"Oh Miss Evans and Mr Snape, I'm having a little party tomorrow, I would love it if you could both attend."

"We'd love to professor!" Lily said excitedly. "Wouldn't we Sev."

"Yes Sir." He could have sounded a little more enthusiastic thought Lily.

"You're close to Potter Miss Evans. Do you think there is any chance of him coming this year?" Lily tried to avoid the murderous glance that Sev had on his face.

"I…don't know." Lily said, thinking her words through very carefully. "You should ask him."

"I think I will." Slughorn then disappeared behind them.

* * *

"Are you sure you should be going down?" Remus asked. "You haven't got the handle of the broom yet, you could end up making a huge tit of yourself." James turned round.

"Thanks Remus." He said sarcastically, while placing his goggles in his hair.

"Not a problem." Remus said, not picking up on the sarcasm in James's voice.

"I just don't want you moaning when don't make the team because of it." He continued. James went to argue but didn't. He shook his head irritably and made his way down to the pitch where Dorcas was waiting for him.

"Come on Champ." She said playfully punching his arm. "Let's go change the world."

"Yeah, let's." James said more cheerfully.

"Hey Dorc wait up!" Dorcas turned and saw Lily coming down, ready for one of Slughorn's parties.

"I think she was talking to you." James said. "I can't possibly be a dork."

"Shut up." Dorcas said as Lily caught up.

"I thought I'd walk down to the main hall." She said rearranging her hair. She needn't bother thought James. It was perfect like it was, she had it down and was slightly curled. "Hey Potter."

"Hey."

"Have you got that Broom under control yet?" Evans asked. "Or are you going to fall flat on your face again for our amusement?" Dorcas snorted while Evans looked untroubled straight ahead of her as she walked forward. James shook his head and went to catch up.

"The broom is fine." James said looking down at it sceptically.

"So it's you then?" Evans asked.

"No, I'm a good flyer." James said defensively. "I just…haven't got the hang of this yet, that's all."

"Right." Evans said rolling those green eyes of hers. "It's a broom, how hard can it be to fly?"

"Hey, this is a very sophisticated piece of kit." James said. "This broom is the fastest in existence, it has the best braking and acceleration charms around along with a G-Force counter balancing system. It's the best broom in the world. And there are only one hundred and fifty one in the whole world."

"How the hell did you get one then?" Evans asked.

"My dad knows old man Nimbus." James said. "Said he owed him a favour and got this made for me."

"Of course he did." She muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." She said quickly. "What position are you going for Dorcas?"

"Chaser." Dorcas replied. "Although I doubt I'll get in this year, it'll be nice to try out."

"You'll get it." Evans said smiling kindly. "I guess you'll have one on Potter as you can actually stay on your broom." Dorcas laughed while James scowled at her and her care free attitude.

"I'd love to see you try next year." James said.

"Me, no." Evans said dismissively. "I think I'd be more useless than you on it."

"Ha, ha." He dead panned as they reached the entrance hall where Snape was waiting for her. "Oh well. Got get em tiger." James said as they walked away from one another. "Be sure he doesn't do any funny business." He said pointing at Snape.

"Urgh! Potter, it's not like that!" She seethed as they walked away.

"I was talking to Snivellus."

"Don't call him that." Dorcas hit him on the back of his head with the handle of her broom.

"What he is." James protested. Dorcas frowned at him but turned to Evans and bayed her goodbye and walked with James outside into the night.

"Are you jealous of him?" Dorcas asked suddenly.

"What!"

"I mean, he is quite close to Lily."

"I'm not jealous." James said, he looked over at Snape at and Evans walk away.

"I don't trust him." James said.

"Trust him to what?" Dorcas asked.

"I just don't trust him." James said. "There's something odd with him."

"Leave it." Dorcas said. "Come on."

The stadium floodlights where beaming down onto the pitch with the other years flying overhead. James and Dorcas walked onto the pitch. James couldn't see the stands the lights were so bright.

"Ok everyone." Wood came over and everyone flew down in a line. "I know we did well last year, but we can still do loads better, there are more places up for grabs this year than ever before, so a lot of chances to impress." He looked at the recruits.

"Ok, first thing's first, do a few laps around the pitch, nothing too fast or fancy. Go." James mounted the broom with ease and kicked off the ground and flew up into the sky. The broom wobbled at first on his accent up but then remained under control.

He hovered for a second before setting off with the rest of the people trying out.

"Hey Potter! Nice broom." One boy called. "Didn't know that they gave them out to amateurs!" Some of them laughed and James could feel himself scowling. He decided to push it and leave him in the dust. He then flew forward past the majority of them. Good, at least it wasn't-

It shuddered…

Shit.

The broom veered off the left and then smacked on the stand on the right of James. He smacked into the hard wood and then fell down onto the gravel below. It caused a few people to gasp loudly and stop as James lay face down in the gravel.

James pushed himself up slowly and instantly spat out some blood from his mouth and groaned at the sudden constriction of his ribs.

"Fuck…"

"James? James are you ok?" He saw Dorcas's boots now in his vision.

"Ow…that hurt." James said getting to his feet again. He saw Dorcas's blue eyes look at him concerned as he picked his broom up. Dorcas placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe you should sit this one out."

"Are you ok Potter?" Wood was floating above them on his broom.

"Fine." James said mounting his broom again.

"Are you sure."

"Sure I'm sure." James wheezed as he kicked off again, slowly this time and went to re-join the laps round the pitch, although much more slowly than he had before. It was still trying to fly in the opposite direction. He just did it more slowly and tried not to fall off. Why was this broom not responding to him and what he wanted to do, why did it want to throw him off.

"Ok, split off into what positions you want to try out for!" James went off with Dorcas with the rest of the house who were trying for chaser.

Next came some tactical plays. They started of small before steadily progressing to more difficult more complicated plays.

This went slightly better than the flying, it was at first just passing the quaffle to one another, things that he was good at doing. But then he had to do some more flying with passes and shots thrown in as well.

The first few James was able to score, although it took all his strength and skill not to fall off. On the third on though, he received a brilliant pass from Dorcas and went to for the strike. But as soon as he caught it he was thrown off his broom and then smacked onto the grass below him.

Laughter rang above him as he breathed the smell of soil. He could hear a few choice jeers as he got to his knees. He felt someone land beside him.

"Dorcas, I'm fine." He said.

"Guess again." he looked up and saw Wood staring down at him.

"What the hell is it?" He asked.

"I don't know." James said rubbing his shoulder while getting to his feet. "There's nothing wrong with it." He looked up at Wood who had a resigning look on his face.

"Wood-"

"Until you can get it under control I don't want you hurting yourself to prove a point." He said.

"But Wood!"

"Potter, stop." Wood said strongly. "I don't want to do this to you any more than you want me to. But I have to think about your best interests. You've fallen off it six times already."

"I need to fly to make it better!" James said, his voice on the verge of shouting. "I'm not afraid of the broom!"

"Maybe that's the problem." Wood said looking down at him.

"Go hit the showers mate."

"Wood!"

"Go!" James started him down for a few seconds before storming off.

His breath was heavy and he felt tears stinging his eyes as he stormed away. He looked down at his broom and threw it to the ground as he walked to the entrance to the stands and sat down, folding his arms.

He wasn't going just yet. The try outs went on without him, Dorcas flew over his way a couple of times. Probably seeing what he was doing. She was playing quite well, truth be told, she might even take his place…

No, he was going to be on the team this year. He just had to prove he was good enough and get his bloody broom to work for him. He looked over at the discarded stick and quickly looked away.

After the try outs had finished he wasn't in a better mood. Once everyone had vacated the pitch he got up abruptly and walked pack on the pitch, picking up his discarded broom and walked to the centre of the pitch and looked up at the night sky. He kicked off the broom, steady so far.

He let of a burst of speed and went to do a lap round the pitch. He barely got half way round until the broom threw him off onto the gravel. He hit the ground and smacked into the bottom of the stand.

"ARGH!" James pounded the floor with his fist and got to his feet. He picked his broom up and instantly flew off. He tried to do a few zig zags, but the same happened, the broom instantly threw him off and onto the grass. That one hurt.

James groaned on the floor as he tried to accustom his body to the pain. He got up and saw his broom waiting for him.

"I bet you think this is funny, don't you." He snarled. He snatched the broom from mid-air and took off again into the air. Throwing caution to the wind he rose higher into air, about where he would be if he was playing…

Where he would be playing.

James rose up higher, the broom started to shake.

"No you don't!" James moved the broom to counter act the veering, but that only sent him in a forward spin he didn't anticipate.

"Shit!" He fell of the broom and was now looking at the ground fifty or so feet below him. He scrambled and pulled out his wand.

"Roparo!" The lasso shot out, he wanted to snare the handle of his broom and pull it over. The lasso missed. James braced himself, this was going to hurt.

"Expecto momento!" James stopped a few feet from the ground and then hit it with a thud on his already bruised torso.

"Ow." He winced.

"I admire your determination." James turned over gingerly and saw Wood there. "But clearly you need to be smarter than this if you want it to work."

"Fuck, you," James wheezed. He got onto one knee and pushed himself up.

"Mate, come on, be reasonable." Wood said. "Why don't you ask your dad to send your old broom to you. Besides, a broom like that deserves to be looked at rather than played on." James turned to the broom that was still laughing at him.

"I'm going to master this one." James said. "I'm not afraid of a couple of bumps and bruises."

"Maybe you should be."

"You said that already."

"You are pretty gutsy James." Wood said. "And pretty much fearless, but sometimes accepting fear makes us stronger."

"It's a broom." James gritted out. "It doesn't respond to emotion." Wood smiled to himself.

"How do you think our wands work?" Wood asked, he looked down at his feet. "I'll leave you to it, but make sure you're out of here before curfew."

"Thanks." James mumbled.

"You don't need to thank me for that." He said. "What you do need to thank me for is giving you another chance. You made it through the second round."

"What?"

"That is purely down to reputation and not on the showing tonight." Wood said. "So make sure you can fly that thing by then." He pointed at the broom. "Got it."

"Yeah…thank you."

"Just prove me right or I'm going to have a riot on my hands."

* * *

"I wish you'd go to see Madam Pomfrey." Dorcas said as she helped James into one of the chairs in the common room. "She can do a better job than me."

"It's bruising. Nothing that we haven't dealt with before." James said making himself comfortable in the chair.

"I'll go get the potion, get your shirt off." Dorcas disappeared up the stairs. James pulled the jersey over his head, his body hurting at very movement. He dropped it to the floor and then unclipped his armour and gingerly pulled it over his head and let it drop with a thud.

Click

James turned to the portrait opening and saw the back of Evans. Talking to someone who was still outside.

"Thanks for walking me back." He couldn't hear the rest of the conversation. "Yeah, I did have a nice time…Yeah, see you tomorrow Sev. Goodnight." The door closed and heard a relieved sigh. She walked through into the common room where James was trying to pull his under armour over his head.

He finally succeeded around a multitude of grunts and groans and let it fall to the floor.

"Potter?" James looked over at Evans come over with a concerned look on her face.

"Oh my god what happened to you?" She asked.

"Fell off my broom for your amusement." James replied. Evans rolled her eyes and looked down at James's broom that was discarded on the floor.

"I only meant that as a joke." She said quietly. "Maybe you should see Madam Pomfrey with these injuries."

"I'm fine." James said trying to make himself more comfortable.

"What's wrong with the broom?" she asked. James sighed and ruffled his hair.

"I don't know…" He said. "It keeps throwing me off every time I fly it."

"I'd be terrified to get back on if it did it to me." She said with a slight laugh.

"Wood said that I should be afraid of it." James said looking down at the broom.

"I don't understand?"

"That makes two of us." James said looking up at her, he liked her dress to. She did look quite nice. "How was your party?"

"Oh, it was fine." She said. "But Jesus Sev can be so moody."

"Not a fan of socialising then." James said, thinking Snape was still an idiot for being moody round her.

"He doesn't help himself sometimes." Evans said. "There are so many interesting people there and yet he doesn't want to talk to anyone. It's really frustrating."

"Has Bellatrix been causing you anymore problems?" James asked.

"No." She said it way too quickly. "No, I think she let it go."

"She doesn't let things go." James said. "I've known her for years, she's crazy." Evans didn't say anything. James rubbed the back of his hair.

"It's ok to feel afraid." He said.

"I'm not scared of her." She said with conviction. "She's just full of hot air. Everyone else has said she's going to do something but she hasn't."

"Do you still hide from her then?" Lily glared at him for a moment and then shook her head.

"Intimidation maybe?"

"Like your broom." Evans said looking down at the broom that was on the floor. She picked it up and placed by the fire place.

"That's different."

"I can handle her." She sat down on the arm of the chair. "I mean, if I can take on Robert Murdoch and won, she'll be no problem." James laughed.

"I did most of the work." He said. Evans looked at him appalled.

"What! No, I did." She said with half a laugh.

"I think you'll find that I got us off that oil rig." James stated.

"But who got you the broom?"

"Who flew it?"

"I had to be integrated by him."

"Twice?" She went to counter but stopped and laughed some more.

"Ok, you got me there."

"How about we say fifty-fifty." James said. "Even and fair." She pondered it for a moment before shaking her head while smiling.

"Yeah, that'll do." She looked very pretty in the fire light. Her eyes were looking at the dancing flames, those green eyes that seemed to have found a home in his mind.

"Sorry it took so long, I couldn't find-" Evans turned startled at Dorcas.

"Hey Lily, how was your party?"

"It was fine." She replied. "What have you got there?"

"Just some ointment for his bruises." Explained Dorcas as she crossed the room. "Stubborn git won't go to see Madam Pomfrey."

"I said that."

"Look, I've already been once today." James said annoyed. "Can you please put some on please, it's quite painful."

"I'll head off the bed then." Evans said. "See you guys in the morning."

"Night Lily. I'll see you in a sec."

"Night Evans."

"Night Potter."

"Unless of course you want to rub this on him instead." Dorcas said smirking while shaking the bottle.

"No Dorcas!" Was all James heard, he was too tired to turn and hurt to see what her expression was. Dorcas laughed and rubbed the ointment into her hands.

"I love winding her up." She said slapping her hand on James's chest, causing him to grimace sharply.

"Torture seems to be your thing." James said out of breath.

"You two are such babies." Dorcas said. "Can't take a joke."

"I think we can." James said sitting up. "It must be your dark sense of humour."

"I stand by what I said." Dorcas said as she finished applying the ointment.

"Looks loads better." Dorcas said as James rotated his arms and pleased to find it didn't hurt.

"What where you talking to her about?"

"Why do you want to know?" James asked.

"Curious."

"It's not your business." James said.

"Touchy." Dorcas said smirking. "What are you going to do about that?" She asked pointing at the broom that Evans had placed by the fire place. James breathed out.

"I have to keep trying." He said. "Starting tomorrow."

* * *

He had barely slept. Before he could even register what time it was he was in his Quidditch armour again and making his way outside for what he hoped would be a less bruising day. He strode outside into the grey overcast day.

James stood at the edge of the lake, a small breeze flowed across the water and slightly lifted his brow. James closed his eyes and allowed the dawn rays the rise against his face. James looked up at the yellow sun in sky and gripped his fists round the handle of his broom.

He kicked up into the air and started to fly, it was like a dream, the broom reacted to every little touch and maneuverers. James smirked, time to break the sonic barrier. He went to fly to the other side of the lake where he could get a clean run at it. But as he turned, it began to swerve.

"No, not now." Said James. He wasn't even remotely close to the other end of the lake, he fought to keep control

He smashed into the ground leaving a huge crater before bouncing up and sliding across the ground. The ground built up around him as he skidded along the turf. He finally stopped, he groaned and slowly got to his feet, he placed his fingers on the ground and pulled himself up.

James pulled himself out of the hole and sat on the edge of it.

"Ow…" James rotated his neck and felt it click. James looked down at his hands. He rotated them and then looked at his broom that was at his feet. He needed to figure out how he could get this broom to fly perfectly.

"How do I get you to fly?" asked James to himself.

HE got to his feet again and picked up his broom, his eyes looked up at the sky. He frowned and then got to his feet and looked up at the large mountain in the distance. He mounted his broom and took a deep breath, he was not afraid.

James jumped off the ground and gripped the handle of the broom. The broom shot up again and sent him soaring into the sky. As he got higher the broom began to cut out again. James grunted again and curled up to try and give himself some momentum.

James sprang forward and a huge blast of speed made him sore into the air, the broom stabilised flying in a straight line. James began to laugh as he sawed towards the clouds, he finally got it, had to curl himself up and spring forward. This was going to change everything, he was going to be…

The broom started to swerve out of control again.

"No." said James, the broom then cut out altogether. "No, no, no, no, NOOOOOO!" James hurtled through the air,

He was spinning uncontrollably, this broom not working when he wanted. James pulled out his wand.

"Roparo!" The rope flew out and James snared his broom with is and pulled it towards him. When he caught it he got back onto it and kicked started it into life. It flew forwards for a few feet before flying over the mountains behind the black lake.

He then felt himself crash into some soft earth. He bounced up and landed again with a huge bump.

When he opened his eyes he saw something he didn't expect. He saw wheat. James blinked and narrowed his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He sat up and rubbed the back of his neck as he looked around. He was in a wheat field. How bloody far did he fall he wondered. He pulled himself to his feet and looked around. As far as his eyes could see, wheat. He looked up and around and saw the mountain that he had avoided smashing into.

So this was what was behind the mountains at Hogwarts. He was very surprised to see it to be honest. He always thought it was just rolling mountains for as far as the eyes could see. James sighed and looked down at his fist. He released his hand and wiggled his fingers, it felt nice with his fingers touching the long strands of wheat.

James sighed and looked up again at the sky. He had to at least try, he walked through the field, his hands still caressing the wheat strands as he went. James picked it up and thought about what Wood has said to him about accepting the fear of the broom.

It wasn't something that he had accepted before, but why would it work, how could it work? James always thought you needed to banish fear in order to succeed. Not embrace it, embracing it meant that something could go wrong.

James breathed deeply, it was worth a shot.

He clenched his fist around the handle of the broom and felt it slowly building up energy. It was vibrating through his entire body, a build-up that was making him feel more powerful than his wand had ever made him. The ground beneath him began to splinter slightly, he to get up in the sky now.

"Feel fear."

James jumped up.

"And overcome it!"

As he flew up the ground around him shattered, leaving a huge crater where he once stood. James though was soaring in the air, the wind whistling through his hair. He cried out in exuberance as he flew over the mountain and back towards the lake.

It was flying perfectly now, with the slightest touch his broom responded. It was more like an extension of his own body than an inanimate object. He swooped down towards the water and barrel rolled across the lake. He stopped so he was hovering across the water. He then looked over at the other end of the lake. He smirked and rearranged the grip on his broom.

The broom then shot off, causing a small wave to go back to the shore line. James made himself a streamlined as possible and he broke the sound barrier as he crossed the water. He then pulled up and shot up vertically into the sky and then towards the castle itself. He darted between some of the spires and then down towards where to boats where.

"YES!" James shouted as he shot past the bitch tree and across the grassy plain by Hagrid's hut and then up and over to trees of the black forest.

James stopped in mid-air breathing deeply. He had it now. It worked for him. He then turned on a whim and sped off back towards the castle. He then landed on the ground and looked down at the broom in his hand.

"Face fear and overcome it." James said nodding.

"Where's Potter?" Wood said angrily pacing up and down the pitch in front of the whittled down recruits.

"Probably still picking himself off the pitch." The group went into laughter.

"Or fixing training wings on his new broom. Pathetic."

"Hey! He could fly rings round all of you!" Dorcas said getting into the face of the third year who said it.

"Yeah, before he hurtles to the floor." The group laughed again. Wood though wasn't impressed at all.

"I give him one more chance to impress and then he doesn't show-"

Wood was cut off by a blur of red that sped over the top of the stadium and suddenly pulled up in front of him.

"Sorry I'm late." James said jumping off his broom, making it effortlessly lean up against his leg. "Just stretching my legs." He looked round at the group who stared on dumbfounded.

"So, shall we?"

* * *

Lily woke up with a start as something seemingly swooshed past her. She pulled the curtains back and saw the same red blur fly back. Obviously Potter was still trying to fly that bloody broom of his.

Potter…

What he said last night about facing her fear with Bellatrix had plagued her uneasy sleep. Maybe she should take his advice. Embracing the fear seemed more pragmatic than denying its existence. Besides, she was in Hogwarts, what could go wrong, she could use her magic to defend herself if she needed to.

Lily got changed and made her way down the great hall with Julia and Mary, Dorcas had gone down for the second round of try outs for the Quidditch team. She sat down today so she could face the door and see Bellatrix. Her stomach fluttering slightly at the anticipation of what she was about to do. It almost felt like she was going to stand up to every bully who ever made her life a complete misery for the first few years of her life.

She waited patiently and sure enough Bellatrix came sauntering in. She looked over at Lily with those evil eyes and suddenly all of Lily's resolve and confidence left her and her head darted back into her breakfast.

Mercifully, Bellatrix didn't say anything to her and just went to her table. Lily breathed out a sigh of relief.

Chicken.

"If Potter doesn't get his broom working Dorcas does stand a very good chance of making the team." Lily turned her head to the conversation that Isabel and Julia where now having.

"She's good then?"

"Almost as good as James." Isabel said. "But James is more unpredictable, that's why Wood will go for him."

"I think it's more likely she'll get a place in the reserves." Julia replied while taking a large bite of toast.

"Let's go and see how there doing." Good, any idea that meant they were away from Bellatrix was a good one. They walked out of the castle towards the Quidditch pitch where they could hear the trials getting underway.

"Hey, Evans!" Lily froze and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Lily felt like running. She looked up at the stadium and saw the red blur that was Potter flying around above them.

"I hope your ready…" she said in a sing song voice.

"Ready for what?" Lily asked.

"Revenge."

"Bugger off Bellatrix." Isabel said shaking her head. Bellatrix laughed to herself.

"I wondered whether you'd be brave enough to try and take me on without Meadows." She shrugged. "I guess I was right, I usually am. You're just a little sheep that'll follow exactly where she's told to."

"Lily, come on." Marlene said trying to pull her away.

"That's right, run along and save yourself. I'll get you one day." Lily had heard enough. She turned sharply and walked towards Bellatrix.

"Lily! Don't!"

"I'm tired of bullies." Lily said as she strode over. "I'm sick, and tired, of bullies. You want a shot at me Black, go for it! I am not afraid of you."

Lily stood in front of Bellatrix with a determined look on her face. Her friends watched her with looks of shock, Isabel with apprehension.

"Well? Are you going to do something?" Lily asked. "Or are you too scared to?" Bellatrix smiled curiously and slightly nodded her head.

"I'll give you this Evans, you have balls." She said. "More than I gave you credit for." She smiled and walked away from Lily back towards the castle with the rest of the Slytherin's in tow.

"I can see why Potter likes you." She said.

"He doesn't like me!"

"Ballsy but naïve." She said looking over her shoulder. "Until next time Evans!" Lily watched as she walked away and could feel her stomach flutter with success. She did it, she actually did it, she stood up to Bellatrix.

"Lily…" She felt Isabel touch her shoulder. "Are you ok?"

"Lily!" Julia was now next to her. "What where you doing? What where you playing at!"

"She wasn't going to do anything to me. Bullies get off on you being afraid." Lily said. "And I'm tired of being afraid." She turned to her friends.

"Come, on. Let's go cheer Dorcas on." She said walking into the stadium. She made her way to the main stand and sat down. She could see Dorcas zooming around on her broom at very high speed.

"Do you reckon James has sorted his broom out yet?" A blur of red suddenly flew past them. Lily smiled as she saw the dot shoot up and then round.

"Looks like he conquered his fear of it as well."

* * *

 **Face Everything And Recover.**


	13. Chapter 13

"You do realise that Katherine will kick my ass if she finds out I'm taking you to do this." Said Moody.

"Maybe." Said Alec. "But you've told me you've got nowhere with him. Time to bring in the big boys." The two men stopped outside Azkaban prison. The hard rain lashing down against them as Moody talked with the guard. After what seemed like an eternity they were let into the fortress.

The inside of Azkaban was just as bleak as the outside. Alec wouldn't want to end up in here for his own sanities sake. A lot of inmates do end up insane after a while. The small cells, lack of fresh air and interaction can drive any man insane. Alec had been in this job long enough to know.

"Auror's Moody and Potter, gentlemen, please insert your wands into the slots." Alec and Moody placed there wands into a scanner that rotated. After it finished its rotation, it bleeped.

"You may enter Gentlemen, Custode Fletcher will show you to the cell." The receptionist flicked through the paperwork.

"Who were you seeing again?"

"Thompson." Said Alec.

"That's red division." Said the receptionist, "Do you have a warrant?" Moody handed over the warrant which she checked, she looked up at Alec.

"You're on medical leave." She said. "Why are you here?"

"He's here as a consultant." Said Moody. "To try and break him down so we can get some answers." Alec smirked.

"Come on Sandy, we've been friends for years, what's a little favour among friends." He said with a smile.

"I know you too well Alec Potter." Said Sandy. Alec reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag and began to slide it over towards her. "And there is nothing you can-!" She looked down at the bag. She looked up at Alec and then at the bag again.

"Are those…"

"Coconut and Pineapple." Said Alec. "While having medical leave I've been able to do the cooking again." Sandy pulled out a biscuit and took a bite. She looked at Alec and then at the door.

"Fine." She said. "But no funny business, ok."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Said Alec smirking. The door hissed and they walked inside.

The prison wasn't much better than when Alec came in last, or sneaked in. The walls were still dark and dingy with a green twinge to the wet walls. Alec and Moody walked with the Custode to an elevator. They got inside and with a groan it made its way down through the prison, the lights from the various floors reflecting on their faces as they descended to maximum security.

"Has he said anything?" Asked Alec.

"No." The Custode shook his head. "The lunatic just meditates and reads."

"What does he read?"

"War and Peace, Doctor Zhivago, Lolita, little women."

"A wide range then." Alec mused.

"No one has got him to open up." The Custode said, the elevator stopped and the all stepped out of the Elevator. They walked past some of the cells. Embedded into the wall with thick glass so you can see everything the inmate is doing. As Alec walked down the rows the inmates all walked to the glass to look at him.

He was responsible for a lot of them being put away.

"Hey Potter, I'm gonna fuck you up like did your mamma!"

"When I break out of here you're gonna fry arsehole!"

"ALEC!"

"You better keeping holding onto that slut of yours!"

"You better watch every shadow you mother-fucker!"

"You're popular."

"It comes with the territory." Alec said untroubled.

"Shame you don't kill anymore! Because when I get out of here I'm gonna smash your skull and drink cocktails out of it!"

"It's nice to have friends." Alec mused. They stopped outside a stone wall, the Custode placed his wand into a small hole and the wall's brick folded away to another chamber. It was a solitary cell. Like the others it was carved into the stone with a solitary glass pane that showed off the whole cell.

"Leave us."

"We can't do that." The Custode said. "It's against protocol."

"Mate." Moody placed his hand on the Custodes shoulder. "He'll be fine, can't you bend the rules just this once?" The Custode looked down at the floor.

"Ok." He said. "We'll be just outside."

"That's fine." Alec said. They backed out and the wall closed up, leaving Alec alone in the room.

Alec hoppled to the glass and looked round the room. It was kept tidy and clean, with only the solid concrete slab that he slept on. Thompson was facing the wall, bare chest in a yoga pose while looking at the wall. He seemed to sense that Alec was there. He slowly lowered his arms.

"You've sent your best and they haven't broken me." Thompson said. "What makes you think you can break me now Auror Moody."

"Because it's not him breaking you." said Alec. Thompson's head peaked up and he relaxed his shoulders. Alec smirked as Thompson turned round to see him.

"They really are desperate now aren't they?" He mused. "Sending an aging cripple to try and break me." He laughed. "This will be easier than I thought."

"This ageing cripple has a few tricks up his sleeve." Said Alec. "Of course, if you're too scared." Thompson was quiet. Alec chuckled.

"I should have known." He said. "That the murderer of women would be too weak to face a real man." Thompson turned quickly and banged on the glass with all his might, his face contorting with anger.

"You know nothing Alec Potter!" he roared. "You know nothing of what I've done, or of what is coming for you!"

Alec smirked, if it was this easy to get under his skin already, an interrogation would have spilling his secrets.

"Ok then son." Said Alec moving to him in front of the glass. "Tell me."

* * *

"I assure you, he hasn't said a word." Said The Custode as he led Alec to the integration room. "He spends his days meditating, and when they do bring someone here to question him he remains quiet. Him pounding the glass is the most anyone has got out of him for weeks. Although…"

"Although what?" asked Alec.

"About him being a murderer."

"It's true." Said Alec untroubled.

"It was a bit below the belt."

"You know." Said Alec stopping. "This is why you have never got him to open up. Because you don't have what it takes to break him, to hit underneath the belt." Alec then walked past The Custode who stood shell shocked.

"Is this the room?" The Custode nodded and Alec walked in. The room was dark in keeping with the décor of the whole prison. The walls bricks where a mouldy green with moisture from the everlasting storms which dripped onto the floor. It looked almost scary in the candle light. Alec closed the door behind him and stared at Thompson. His face was half in the light and half in the darkness. But the furious glare that met him was unmistakable in any light.

"Leave us." The two guards that had been guarding him walked out of the room, just leaving the two of them.

Thompson didn't say anything as Alec walked to the chair in the middle of the room and sat down. Thompson was chained to the chair not being able to move his arms or legs. He continued to glare as Alec sat down on the chair opposite him and patted the file in his hand.

"So, Mr Thompson." He said. "It's been a long time."

"Not long enough in my book." said Thompson. "Though you seemed to walk away from it worse than me." He nodded his head towards Alec's cane that was resting on the table.

"Hurt does it?" he said. Alec smiled in the corner of his mouth. "Or is it a message from death that you are half way through the door."

"It's healing." Said Alec patting his knee. "Which is more than I can say for you."

"I'm fine." Said Thompson. "This place isn't as bad as everyone makes out. I thought it would be much worse."

"Well I suppose you haven't been here long enough to appreciate it yet." Said Alec, he looked around the room. "The confined walls…the moisture…the dripping." The room went quiet.

Drip…

Drip…

Drip…

Thompson looked around the room and his eyes fell back on Alec. His mouth curled into a devilish smirk.

"They have fed me more Veritaserum than water here." Said Thompson, "And I haven't opened up, nor will I ever."

"I'm not here to feed you Veritaserum." Said Alec. "All though it would make my job a lot easier though if I did. But no, I was taught much better than too force information from a man."

"Oh here comes the torture." Said Thompson.

"I hate that even more." Said Alec. "You're going to tell me what I want to know yourself." Thompson laughed.

"You must be senile." Said Thompson. "There is no way that I would tell you anything."

"You will, in time." said Alec. "I have all day."

Drip…

Drip…

Drip…

The two men stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity with the dripping noise becoming more prominent in the silence of the room. Magnified with each drip. Thompson twitched. It was only slight but Alec saw it straight away.

"I always use this chamber for interrogations." Said Alec. "It was built during the time of the Auror Snow. He designed it to be sound absorbent, but asked for one single loose pipe to let out one single drip."

"Why is that important?" asked Thompson.

"Almost all the Auror's use the modern up to date interrogation room." said Alec. "Because it's warm and it's comfortable. They sometimes forget that interrogations are supposed to make the subject uncomfortable."

Drip…

Drip…

Drip…

"So what's with the leaky pipe?" asked Thompson.

"Because the room doesn't let in any sound, anything you hear inside is magnified because your brain can't process the silence." Explained Alec. "If I left you in here long enough then you would start hearing your own heartbeat, and the sound of the blood moving through your veins."

Thompson looked confused.

Drip…

Drip…

…

Drip…

"I've seen men in here driven to the point of almost insanity because they do nothing but talk to themselves to block out the noises there own body makes." Said Alec. "To be honest I'm surprised no one has but you in here." Thompson laughed.

"Well, it won't work, because you're talking to me." Said Thompson.

"True." Said Alec. "But not in a second I won't."

Drip…

Drip…

…

Drip…

Alec placed the file down on the floor and got up. He walked out of the room heaved the door shut. He then walked to a room where they could see the inside of the chamber.

"Ok, what now?" asked The Custode.

"Release him from the chains." Said Alec folding his arms. "I want him to pick up that folder."

"What's in it?" Alec Smirked.

"The biggest mistake of his life." The Custode relaxed the chains and Thompson fell to the floor so he was on his knees. He got up quickly and looked around before relaxing. He walked over to the door and tried the handle. Locked. He then walked round the room in total silence. After about a minute he looked at the file in the middle of the room. He was tempted.

"What are you waiting for?" asked Custode Fletcher.

Drip…

Drip…

…

Drip…

"Where waiting for him to make a sound." Said Alec. "Soon, he'll begin muttering to himself to drown out the sound of his own heartbeat."

Fletcher shook his head in disbelief. "I never knew we kept something like this in here. It seems almost barbaric in a way."

"We need him to open up." Said Alec as he watched Thompson pace the room. "I only use this room in extreme circumstances."

Thompson looked at the file for a full three seconds now. Gone on, look at it thought Alec in his head.

Alec watched him to continue to pace the room, his eye twitched. Alec smirked. He was starting to break.

Drip…

Drip…

…

Drip…

Thompson then went straight for the file then in the room.

"What's he doing?" asked Fletcher.

"He's thinking that if he reads then it will block out the sounds in his head." said Alec. "But I've placed some things in there that will make him turn a little quicker." Thompson, with clumsy fingers opened the file and then looked at the first thing inside. Alec heard a sharp intake in breath. Thompson was looking at a picture of Bella's body. His breathing was becoming rapid.

Drip…

Drip…

…

Drip…

He flicked over to the next page and saw another picture of her, he shook his head, muttering something under his breath.

"Does that means he's cracking." Asked Fletcher.

"No." said Alec. "But he will. You see he's muttering under his breath, trying to fill the void." Fletcher strained to listen.

"What's he saying?"

"That I don't know." Said Alec. He looked down at the console and flicked on the microphone in the room.

"You bastard, you bastard." Thompson whispered.

"Well he's not wrong." Said Fletcher looking over at Alec who was still looking at Thompson.

"I didn't mean to. She…she was supposed to join us… to save us…" said Thompson.

Drip…

Drip…

…

Drip…

"Why, why did you do this, you loved her." Stammered Thompson.

"Yes." said Alec.

"Is that a good thing?" asked Fletcher. Alec nodded.

"He's saying his internal monologue." Explained Alec, "His brain is subconsciously trying to fill the void because of the lack of sound in the room."

"He said it would all be ok." Said Thompson."

"Riddle said." Thompson stopped and looked up at the glass, his face morphed into anger. He walked over to the glass and banged on it. Causing Fletcher to scuttle back.

"You can't break me!" he shouted. "I will never betray my master."

Riddle, that was the name of the boy who lived in Royce's room. A coincidence, nah, the universe was rarely that lazy, a wizard whose name is riddle and the name of a man who organised a terrorist attack on the Boulevard, definitely no coincidence there.

Alec smirked. Finally, a lead, bloody hell he was good.

He reached on the console and then flicked on the loud speaker.

"You already have." Said Alec. Thompson looked round the room, wondering where the voice was coming from.

"Who's Riddle?" asked Alec. He looked over at Fletcher who was stunned. Alec shut off the loud speaker.

"What was the point in that?" asked Fletcher.

"You watch." Said Alec.

"IT MEANS NOTHING!" Thompson roared. "You know nothing Alec Potter! You know absolutely NOTHING!"

"Apart from Riddle." Said Alec. "So, is this Riddle the man who came to you?" Thompson looked up murderously. "He's the one who convinced you to blow up The Boulevard. The man who convinced you to murder her."

"I DID NOT MURDER HER!" Thompson shouted.

Drip…

…

Drip…

…

Drip…

"Well she's dead because you strangled her." said Alec. "To me, that's murder, all because she said no to you. I wonder what else you did to her if she had said no."

"It wasn't like that!" said Thompson, "She was supposed to join me." He looked up at the glass.

"It was you!" he said. "You spoke to her, you convinced her! It was you! You killed her, she wouldn't have turned if it hadn't been for you."

"I made her see that killing thousands of people was a bad thing and that she was unsafe by being with you," said Alec. "Let's face it, you can't blame anyone but yourself."

"It's not my fault, it's, yours!" he shouted. "We would be happy, she would still be alive if it wasn't for you."

"I've heard that before." Said Alec. "That's the sound of a desperate man."

"I will kill you Potter!" He spat, "And everyone in your family!"

Alec shook his head.

"Having fun?" Alec turned round and saw Parks standing behind him. He sighed and shook his head while folding his arms.

"What part of medical leave don't you understand?"

"I'm sorry sir." Alec said. "But I've made some head way with this Thompson, so I think I've been productive."

"Moody, go work some cases, we'll have words later."

"Yes Sir." Moody walked out with Custode Fletcher leaving the two of them in the small room while Thompson was being led away.

"World's Greatest Detective. It wasn't a gimmick."

"A simple interrogation." Alec said untroubled. "Maybe you should train the newbie's a little better."

"Skill. Hardest thing to teach." Said Parks.

"What do you want?" Alec asked.

"That so called secretary friend of yours." Alec swore under his breath. "She like my wife's cooking more."

"Snitch."

"So, what are you doing here?"

"My brother sent me."

"Tim?"

"Yes, he was concerned that no one had been able to make headway with Thompson, so he asked me to have a try." He looked over at Parks who was frowning.

"Let's go talk in my office." He said now walking out the room. Alec picked up his cane and limped out with him through the prison. He cast a dark look at the receptionist who just looked away. They walked out into the rain and apparated to the ministry of magic.

* * *

Alec hobbled into the office and sat down in the chair opposite Parks who was pouring himself a drink.

"So what does Tim think this is?" He asked.

"He didn't tell me." Parks chuckled.

"Surely you must some idea?" Alec shuffled in the chair he was sitting, he hated these chairs, they always hurt his back, and with his knee inflamed they didn't provide a lot of support.

"I guess they just wanted something to go on. You haven't found anything before I talked to him."

"You still didn't have clearance to do it though." Parks said seriously.

"Like you would stop me." Replied Alec.

"I know I can't. You're one of the best Alec, one of this Governments most reliable agents, but you still have to fall within parameters."

"Like medical leave."

"I know as you call it a 'simple interrogation' isn't much of a strain. But with Umbridge breathing down your neck do you really think it's wise to be going out of your way to bend the rules?"

Alec shook his head. "She has nothing on me."

"Not yet. But you really do like leaving a trial of breadcrumbs for her to follow."

"Do you want me to lie to Tim about what I've found out?" Alec asked.

"No, even I know that'll he'll find out one way of the other." Said Parks. "You never know he might actually do something to help the department."

"Don't hold your breath."

"What did you find out?"

"A Riddle."

"A Riddle?" Alec nodded. "James was attacked by the MfW in America when he took part in the San Andreas Junior Grand Prix." He explained. "He was helped by a man calling himself 'Riddle'.

"Do we know of him?"

"No, but according to James he's affiliated with The Sons Of Salazar." Said Alec. "We should look into him. He seems to be the only lead we have with them."

"Where do we start?"

"Well I was thinking-"

"It was a rhetorical, Alec."

"Sir."

"You are on Medical leave." He said. "We don't know what dangers you could face if we let you try and track him down, what if they decide to attack you?"

"They can try."

"Try, and probably succeed in the state you're in now." He said. "These people are dangerous. The muggles think the IRA are responsible for some of these bombings but we know different, there not just targeting muggleborn's anymore, they're going for regular muggles to."

"I'm not muggle."

"True, but you're wounded." Parks said with finality in his voice. "I'd much rather you healed and came back stronger than rush you back."

"I can be useful." Alec replied. "I feel like a dick sitting at home not doing anything." Parks didn't say anything at first, he considered Alec for a moment, his fingers rasping on the arms of his chair. His eyes flickered up at Alec.

"Come with me Alec." Parks got up from the seat and showed Alec to the door. Alec got up from the chair shakily on his cane and hobbled his way with Parks out of the room.

"The attack on the boulevard and the murder of a suspect under The Institute has left everyone stunned to be honest with you." he said. "An enemy who had a man at the very heart of our democracy." He looked around at some of the people walking around.

"Who knows if one of these people, a person we know and trust could be leaking our most intimate secrets to this mad man?"

"He did say that he had people everywhere." Said Alec. "But who do we know who to trust?"

"We don't." said Parks. "But, we have been developing a new system that I want you to see." They reached H branch. Parks placed his hand on a console that took a scan of his hand. Once it turned green the door opened and the two men walked inside.

"New toys?" asked Alec.

"Sort off." Said Parks as they made their way down the rows and rows of half made inventions. "This attack on The Boulevard gave us a chance to test out one of most ambitious projects. A complete scan of the boulevard that can pin point the exact moment the detonation occurred." Explained Parks.

"By using memories from everyone at the boulevard that day we can place them together to create a complete three dimensional recreation of the boulevard." They reached the end of the room.

"Voice authorisation code, Papa, Alpha, Romeo, Alpha, Kilo, Sierra." Alec waited.

"Voice confirmation accepted."

"Voice activation locks." Said Parks, can only be opened by a single voice or phrase."

"And you set it to parks." Said Alec. "And they said I had an ego." The door opened and they were led into a huge room with lots of men and women walking round in white lab coats with clipboards looking at different readings. In the middle of the room lay a white cube which looked like a complete model of the Boulevard itself.

"Wow." Said Alec as he hoppled towards it. "That's-"

"Impressive, magnificent!" H came bounding in with a big grin on his face. "This Alec Potter is the future of the Auror's, imagine being able to do a complete scan of a person's memories to help picture the crime scene."

"And you're doing it of the Boulevard?" asked Alec.

"We need to test it to its limits." Said H. "But…at the moment it's not going so well."

"Why not?" asked Alec looking round the model.

"Even though we have the memories to do it it's sorting through them all to make an uncorrupted field. Others remember them differently to others."

"How far have you got the uncorrupted scan?" asked Parks.

"Only 65%." Said H. "It's the point before and after the explosion that's the problem."

"Ok, run the simulation." Said Parks. H played the simulation, it was running normally before there was static and then the explosion and then more static.

"And that's it?" asked Alec. Parks nodded.

"Most people on the boulevard have suppressed the memories." Said H, "It makes them unreliable.

"Here." Alec placed his wand to his head and put the explosion the forefront of his mind. He pulled the wand away and extracted the memory.

"Here." He said handing H the memory. "Place that into the console." H took the memory and then threw it into the simulation.

"Sir, it's bonding." Said one lab coat. H went over and looked at a clipboard.

"That's incredible." Said H. "Alec's memories have made the simulation run at 98%."

"That's amazing." Said Parks.

"Where trained to take in every detail." Said Alec. "Especially in major trauma. Do you mind if I have a look?" asked Alec.

"No." said H, "Though I'm not sure what you'd find?"

"Maybe nothing." Said Alec. "But…"

"But?"

"Nothing." He said straight away. "So, how does it work?"

"Walk into the simulation." Said H, "Call out instructions as and when you want them, you will still be able to talk to us."

"Ok. Let's do this." Alec hobbled into the simulation and was blinded by a huge light. Alec then landed on the ground.

He was in the Boulevard again but the buildings where white as where the details. Everyone was standing still and also in white as well.

"Ok, where are we on the timeline?" asked Alec.

"About twenty minutes before the explosion." Said H.

"Am I at the epicentre?" asked Alec.

"No, but we can take you there." Said H. The whole scene fast forward. People moving really fast until it stopped dead again.

"Ok, here we are." Said H. "The explosion is in t minis 1 minute."

"Ok, play at normal speed." Alec instructed. The memory began to play, people laughing and joking on the boulevard, Alec frowned as he looked around and then saw himself on the memory along with Katherine and James. Almost…like a normal

BOOM

"And there's the blast." Said Alec. He walked forward. "Rewind by ten seconds." The memory wound back so everyone was back in their positions. Alec walked over to the where Bella had placed the bomb. Alec felt a twinge of guilt.

"Ok, rewind in slow motion until I say stop." The memory rewound and Alec followed Bella down one of the connection alleys. There was a black spot.

"What is this?" asked Alec.

"Clearly no one saw her at this point." Said H.

"Can you go to a point where someone had?" asked Alec.

"We can't pinpoint people." Said H. "Try rewinding to memory to when she enters it."

"Good idea. Continue rewind on the other end of the alley." The memory began to rewind again, focusing on the alley mouth. Alec was looking at the faces of the people walking past the alley, lucky one who didn't get caught in the blast. Wait there she was.

"Pause." There was Bella, looking a little shifty. Definitely something to hide there. She looked both ways before heading into the alley.

"Pause. Ok, how long is it now before the explosion?"

"Uhm…half an hour." Said H. Alec frowned and walked around.

"She didn't spend half an hour walking around the alley." He said. He looked around Bella, she didn't have the bag. Alec looked down the alley, so someone gave her the bag and then left her to do it. Alec scratched his chin in thought. Maybe the accomplice walked down here later or earlier.

"Ok, fast forward to point of detonation." The memory fast forward, but nothing, no one was walking into the alley. Alec groaned and ran his hand down his face.

"Rewind to half an hour before the blast." Said Alec. The memory wound back imeadietly to the scene of Bella about to walk into the alley. Alec then walked down the other side of the Alley.

"Damn thing." He said looking down at his cane. He hobbled to the alley mouth.

"Ok, play at fast speed." The memory played, people walking past but no one was walking in. Alec sighed as Bella walked out of the black spot with the rucksack in tow.

"Why are you focusing here?" asked Parks.

"Bella walked into the alley without the bag." Said Alec walking round. "And then walked out with it to set off the explosion. So there was someone else, someone who gave her the bag."

"They must have walked into the alley to give it to her." said Parks. "Did you notice this person escape?"

Alec stopped. He hadn't seen anyone when he ran after Bella in the alley. Alec walked to the other end of the alley.

"Ok, play at normal speed." Alec saw Bella place the bomb down and then retreat from the scene. She was about the leave before it looked like she was called back. She stopped and looked around at the alley, Alec moved round and could see her mouthing something?

"Pause. H, can we figure out what she said?"

"Sorry Alec. This doesn't have audio." Alec tutted.

"Play." The memory began to play and then there was the explosion. "There wasn't a body down the alley was there?"

"No." said Parks, "Not according to The Institute records." Alec frowned.

"The Boulevard records all spells that are cast under the dome, correct?"

"It's one of the things the yanks won't shut up about." Said Parks.

"Can you get a map of spells used a minute before the explosion?" asked Alec.

"Why?"

"I think this person she was talking to apparated themselves out before the explosion." Said Alec.

"Ok, we got the map of spells." Said H.

"Good, now apply them to the map." Said Alec. There was a hesitation. "H?"

"I don't know whether it will sync or not?" said H. "It could overload the memories."

"Do it."

"I would get out first so we can run a test." Said H.

"This is the test," said Alec. "Do it!" H sighed.

"Ok." Uploading now. The scene distorted slightly, before new details started to appear. Little red dots at certain places.

"Alec, are you ok?"

"Fine." Said Alec. "It was successful." He could hear H sigh in relief. Alec looked down the alley and saw a red spot in the black spot.

"What spell was used here?"

"Guess."

"Apparition charm?" asked Alec.

"Precisely." Said H.

"DO we know where it went?"

"Unfortunately, no." said H. "All that we know is that it they apparated out…twenty seconds before the explosion."

"That's why she turned back." Mused Alec. "H, was there an apparition charm into the alley at all."

"No." said H. "They must of walked into the alley and apparated away." Alec frowned and then turned to the alley front.

"Rewind by half an hour." The memory rewound again to the point where Bella walked into the alley. "Ok, now, rewind." The memories began to play back. Alec's eyes were scanning each face that came anywhere near the alley.

"Pause!" The memory stopped as a man was about to walk into the alley with a rucksack. Alec studied him closely. He was a tall good looking man and held himself as a man of stature. HE had a slight smirk on his face as he was about to enter the alley. He looked about thirty with stray hair from his fringe framing his face. He was in traditional wizarding attire. That's probably why he stood out to this person.

Alec pointed at him.

"Here he is." Said Alec. Can we isolate the memory this came from?"

"Yeah, there may be a small interference, standby." The whole room disintegrated before reforming in colour, Alec could now see some details missing but the main ones where all there.

This man had black hair, but his eyes where what made Alec curious. He walked around and looked at the irises. His eyes hadn't deceived him, they were blood red.

"That's strange." Said Alec.

"Red eyes." said H. "I've never heard of it, have you?"

"Once." Said Alec. "Let's see where he came from. H, place me back into the main memory field." The whole room went white again with little details now becoming more prominent. "Rewind in slow motion." The memory rewound and Alec followed this man down the street. He weaved in and out of people, looking like a usual tourist. He visited a few shops, had coffee, and then he was heading to an exit. Alec followed him to the exit.

"He came in via the lady liberty entrance." Said Alec. "H, this magic tracker thing, can we check what wand was used."

"Yes, we can."

"Fast forward to the apparition charm in the alley." Alec commanded. The memory fast forwarded to the alley and to the black spot.

"Ok, fuse the spells in." The red dot appeared again on the screen. He then pointed on the red one in front of him on the black spot.

"What wand did this come from?"

"Spell was cast by a wand owned by Alex Smithies." Said H. "Twelve and a half inches, Aspen with dragon heart string."

"Alex Smithies?" Alec wondered. "Is he missing at all?"

"What makes you think that?" asked Parks.

"You said yourself that the wand tracking system is the Institutes crown jewel when it comes to The Boulevard." Said Alec. "So why would this guy apparate out with a wand he knew would be tracked? Unless it wasn't his."

"So…"

"Locate Alex Smithies." Said Alec. "The wands probably long gone. And so is he."

"Dead?"

"Most likely." Said Alec.

"Rewind to subject." The memory rewound to the point where the man was standing with the rucksack. Could this be the Riddle that Thompson was talking about? Could he be the mastermind behind all this, could he be the man who was in Royce's room first, the one who let all the wizarding paraphernalia that was spread on his wall. It would certainly fit the time scale, he was in his thirties, although the fringe made him look younger. But he still could be a yank. There was one way to find out.

"Rewind with a tag on the subject." The memory rewound. Alec waited till he was in a shop. "Freeze. Now play." The memory played out, the white figure then asked someone to move.

"Ok pause." The memory stopped. "Isolate memory." The room collapsed before reforming in colour, but again with details missing.

"Ok, play."

" _Excuse me Miss, can I get past?"_ He said in an English accent.

" _Oh yes, sorry."_

"Pause." Said Alec.

"Ok, so we know he's one of our own." Alec then thought back, Bella to him, she was called back.

"Reinstate full memory filed." The details filled in and everything went white. Fast forward to point of detonation." The memory moved to the alley and then stopped.

"Ok, play," Bella was now coming out of the alley. "Ok, isolate memory." The memory went into colour.

"Ok." Rewind." The memory rewound to the point as she was about to get out the alley.

"Play." Bella stepped out of the alley.

"Are you sure you want leave?" It was definitely his voice. "You're making history you know."

"I don't care, so long as it sends the message." Replied Bella.

"Suit yourself, see you again, sister." There was the unmistakable sound of an apparition crack.

"I'm not your sister." She hissed.

"Stop." Said Alec. "Pull me back, I have everything I need." Alec closed his eyes. When he opened them he was back in the room with Parks and H.

"Any word on Alex Smithies?" asked Alec.

"Alec, you're going home." Said Parks, "You are suspended as well on medical leave. If Katherine finds out."

"Come on I'm bored, I've just blown this wide open for you and you're sending me home?"

"You're supposed to be at home." Said Parks. "I thank you or this I really do. But if Umbridge gets even a whiff that you're here."

"Yeah, yeah." Said Alec. "I don't want to give her anything."

"Exactly. Go home and rest." Said Parks. "Just wait for this to blow over. Do you need a hand back?"

"No." said Alec looking down at his cane.

"No, I'll be fine. He said hobbling out. "Thanks for the play with the new toy."

"Take care Alec." Said H as he walked out.

Alec limped through the offices till he got to the main hall. He could tell eyes were on him. Whispers and finger pointing. It was all to do with the press biging him up for something, whether it was running for minister of magic, which he wasn't. Or going out to fight Dracula, which again, he wasn't. Or something else altogether. Alec picked up some floo powder and threw it into the fire.

"Potter farm." He said. "The fire turned blue and he flew away before stepping out of his fire place.

"Alec, are you home?" asked Katherine.

"Yeah." Said Alec taking his shoes off. It seemed weird not to take his Auror boots off. Katherine walked into the living room smiling.

"Did you have a nice time?" she asked.

"Yeah." Said Alec sitting down and placing his leg up on the table.

"Is it hurting?" asked Katherine sitting next to him.

"Not as much as it used to." Said Alec placing his arm round her. She cuddled up next to him and he picked absent mindedly at her hair. The thoughts of what he discovered still going through his head. This Riddle man.

What was his plan, his play, was he making a move to establish himself as a man of power now Murdoch was gone? He looked down at Katherine. He shouldn't think about that now, not with her around. Or she would get pissed.

Alec pulled the duvet of now he knew that Katherine was fast asleep. He looked at the cane leaning on the side of his bed.

"Fuck that." He got up. He grunted at the pain but held his fist hard and began to limp downstairs. He got to the stairs and placed his hand on the side of the wall and began to slowly made his way down the stairs. His vision was now clouded with pictures of his young family. He made it to the bottom.

"Ow."

He limped to his study and opened the door. He closed it and turned the light on.

"The one thing you can always count on is that an epiphany will always occur at the most inappropriate time." Teddy Stone taught him that. And it had now at. He looked over at the clock

02:00 AM

"No rest for the wicked." Said Alec as he sat down and looked at his A2 pad of paper. He got a pen from the desk and wrote down on it.

 _Riddle._

He tore it off and went over to the notice board on the wall. He pinned it up and wrote down some questions underneath.

 _Who is he?_

 _What does he want?_

 _Why does he want it?_

 _What is his back story?_

Alec walked back the book case in the room. He pulled out one and plucked the folder O'Riely gave him. It gave him a little pleasure to know he still had a hiding place to use in his own house.

Alec sat down and began to pour through it in detail. Maybe these two were connected somehow. He went over to noticeboard.

 _Sons of Salazar leader?_

 _Parcelmouth?_

 _English, Hogwarts former student?_

 _Orphan?_

Alec placed a picture of the Hill Street orphanage up and then went back to the desk and pulled out some red string. He bit of and bit and some sell-o-tape and placed it from the word Orphan to the picture. And then another to a picture of Hogwarts. He then picked up the pen again and put in another thing that was bothering him.

 _Alex Smithies, why take his wand?_

 _Where is he now?_

Alec summoned his chair from the desk and sat down while rubbing his knee. He was looking at the start of this board, it was only the start but there were already a few important questions on there. He rested his chin in his hand and tapped his chin. He needed to give a name to this.

He smiled.

He got up and got his pen out and wrote something down.

He sat back down and laughed.

 **The Marauders Proudly Present Alec Potter In: The Marauders Year Two**

 **Chapter Thirteen**

 **Enigma**

 **Written By Chambers10**


	14. Chapter 14

**The Marauders Proudly Present James Potter in The Marauders: Year Two**

 **Chapter Fourteen**

 **Into The Red**

 **Written By Chambers10**

James stared up at his canopy while gripping his mini quaffle tight in his grasp. He slowly squeezing and relaxing the ball in his fist, he tried to do it to his heart beat. But, he was so nervous with it thundering in his chest, that stopped a long time ago. James Potter had been up all night. A million different scenarios running in his head. About what was going to happen today, of all days. His first ever Quidditch match for Gryffindor.

He'd been sent to bed early by Wood. As had most of the team, his debut for the team was the hot gossip going round the school right now, apparently the whole school was going to be down on the pitch to see him play. Wood had described him as incredible, from another planet good.

Normally, he wouldn't hesitate to do the same thing. But…he was, and he couldn't believe he was thinking this. But was nervous as well. How the hell could he be nervous. He'd played Quidditch before, hundreds of games, but this was important to him. His dad had told him lots of stories about how the Quidditch pitch, the arena, and the glory of victory.

He looked over at his clock.

07:00 AM

James pulled open the curtains to his bed and sat on the end. James sighed and rubbed his head, he reached under his bed and pulled out his bag he packed the night before. James looked at the bag for a long time. He needed air. He needed lots of air.

He quietly got some tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt from the drawer and changed, scooping his trainers as he walked past the door.

After quickly changing he walked out of the tower and pulled on a beanie hat. He did a couple of jumps on the spot and then started to run. His steps echoed through the castle as he ran down the marble staircase and out of the castle to the grounds. The cold air was biting, but welcome on his body that was heating up quickly.

He thought back to when he was younger and his dad told him about the Quidditch at Hogwarts.

"Tell me about it." said a young James sitting on his dads work bench. Alec was under the bonnet of his car fiddling with the spark plugs. James swinging his legs idly.

"Why do you want to know so badly?" asked Alec as he stood up. He wiped his brow and looked at the late afternoon summer sun streaming into the garage. He looked over at his son who shrugged his shoulders.

"You always say it's really good." Said James. "It's not like when I play Quidditch though. We have small pitches, at Hogwarts you say we play in an arena." Alec laughed.

"You do." Said Alec wiping his hands. "Huge arena to, over fifty stories high, and the stands are really close to the pitch. So it's almost like the fans are on the pitch with you."

"Wow." Said James picturing it in his head. "It must be brutal."

"You have no idea." Said Alec. "But probably won't play till your third year, so you have plenty of time to catch the atmosphere."

"No, no." said James jumping off the bench. "I'm gonna play in my first year, I'm good enough, aren't I?"

"Well you are seven." Said Alec, "I suppose there's plenty of time to improve." James looked appalled at him while Alec laughed.

"Kidding kiddo." Said walking over and ruffling James's hair. "I'm sure you will. You give your old man the run around."

"What's it like scoring?" asked James.

"What, a goal?" James nodded.

"Well…" Alec thought for a moment. "When the quaffle goes through the hoop and that bell rings. The whole place comes alive, three sections of the arena shouts and cheers your name. Trust me mate, when you lift that house cup in front of your house, you can feel like you can do anything.

"Awesome." Said James nodding his head. "Will you be there?"

"Me?" said Alec looking up from the bonnet. "Maybe, I'm sure we'll all be there, your mum and sister to."

"And win the house cup."

"Sure mate." Said Alec. "Come on, I think we've done all we can here today."

James stopped running by the black lake and looked out across the water. The air was still cold and brittle across his skin. But the run hadn't done anything to calm his nerves, he was still nervous. He shook his head and continued on his run. The Quidditch pitch itself came into the distance.

He stopped and looked up at the high oval structure. His dad was right in saying that it was a huge arena. He walked over to the player's entrance and pulled back the door.

When he opened the dust from the outside was magnified from the autumn sun. The tunnel though was very long and dark. James slipped in and closed it and walked down the tunnel. He was looking down the right hand side of it and passed the Hufflepuff changing room, and then, next to it a little further down. The Gryffindor Lion roaring on the door. To think, in a few hours he was going to be in there, with the rest of the team, where greats had sat before him, his dad included. He placed a hand on the door. Almost asking it if there was any advice he could follow.

The resounding silence gave him his answer. This was something he needed to do alone.

His footsteps echoed round the huge structure the light at the end of the tunnel not betraying the outside. He walked into the light and out onto the pitch.

If it looked tall from the outside it was herculean on the inside. The immaculately cut grass round the outside, a layer of gravel and then the grass itself on the pitch. A huge oval pitch with the hoops high up into the air. But the stand behind it eclipsed by at least twenty stories.

It was still claustrophobic on the inside, and the pitch was very close to the stands. James felt sorry for a seeker trying to find a snitch inside here. And yet, in just a couple of hours, this stadium was going to be full of people from all the houses, all of Hogsmede, and other people who came from far and wide to see a game.

James closed his eyes, his nerves still hadn't gone. It anything, seeing just how many people were going to be there made him sick.

He needed to get out. After running back down the tunnel and climbing over the fence he ran back to the castle.

There were the first signs of life from people on a Saturday going down for breakfast. James bypassed the great hall and ran back to the tower.

He got to the portrait.

"Oh, there you are." She said. "Woods been looking everywhere for you."

"Has he?" asked James. The portrait nodded.

"He always gets the whole team together to eat breakfast and go over tactics and plays." She said, "I thought you knew that." Now she mentioned it, James could remember Wood doing that last year with the team, he hit his head.

"Sorry, I went out for a run."

"It's not me you should be saying sorry to." She said. "He's inside waiting for you." The door opened and James ran in.

"Potter, there you are!" he barked. "Where the hell have you been, we've been waiting for you."

"I went for a run." Said James taking off his hat and ruffling his hair. "I needed some air."

"Well get your stuff together, we have to get going." He said, "Be down in five minutes." James nodded and ran up the boy's staircase and banged the door open. Sirius looked up from his bed.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he groaned while pulling to duvet over his head.

"Getting my Quidditch things." Said James pulling his bag from underneath his bag and checking all his stuff was there. He pulled it over his shoulder.

"Make sure your down there later." He said. "I need to have breakfast with the team." Even though he felt sick at the thought of eating.

"Yeah, yeah, fine." Said Sirius, he looked around the dorm. "Where's Remus and sprout?"

"Probably already in the great hall." Said James now changing his t-shirt while spraying deodorant. "Remus said he was helping him with history of magic. Right, see you down there mate." James ran to the door.

"Good luck mate." Said Sirius relaxing into his bed. "Not that you'll need it, you'll do great." James stopped and turned round to face him.

"Yu, you think so…"

"Sure." He said yawing. "Now go, I want five more minutes." He rolled over and James slowly walked down the stairs, a little more upbeat, if Sirius thought he would do well, well, he might just be alright.

"Come on Potter, down we go." Said Wood. While the rest of team talked on their way down to hall James was still quiet, for the only time in his life. Mainly still trying to calm the butterfly's in his stomach.

The great hall was full now, everyone talking about how the match was going to go down. When the team walked in they were met by jeers from the Slytherin table. There were a couple of chants from them that James mainly ignored, well, until his name was mentioned.

"James Potter, the boy blunder!" James's head shot to the table which roared into laughter. James went to pull out his wand but was stopped by Wood.

"Easy." He said. "There trying to goad you, if they can see that they can get under your skin easily, they control you. You just have to take it, and deal revenge on the pitch later. Got it." James looked over at the table and narrowed his eyes.

"Fine." He said shortly. Wood sat him down and then began to place some items on a plate. James though just stared at it and didn't even want to try it.

"You have to eat something." said Wood.

"I'm not hungry." Said James.

"I know your nervous." He said. "Everyone is when they play for the first time." James didn't say anything. "But you need to eat something. You have a long day ahead, it'll be dinner time before you get to eat again. Wood didn't wait for an answer, he grabbed James's plate and began to place scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, mushroom and tomatoes on his plate along with potatoes and placed it in front of James.

"You're starting on the bench if you don't eat all that." He said. James picked up his knife and fork and began to eat.

After breakfast the team made its way to ground with the applause and cheers of their table, and then the jeers of the Slytherin's. Wood led them down to the stadium which now had the flags up for the big game.

They walked to the stadium players entrance, they walked down the corridor to the changing room which had the Gryffindor symbol on the door. On the right hand side of the room were wooden benches that where underneath small windows. On the left was a big chalk board with a Quidditch pitch already inked on. The other players sat underneath the same spots they presumably had last year, the only one left for James was in the centre of the room where his jersey was waiting for him.

 **POTTER**

 **6**

James stared transfixed at the jersey. He had completely forgotten that he would get this shirt, and they even had his number on the back of it.

"Hope you like it pal." Said Wood slapping him on the back. "That's yours now."

"Thanks Wood," said James, "I don't know what to say."

"You've already said it." said Wood. "Now get your training kit on. We need to go warm up. I'll be out in a few minutes." James stood transfixed on the shirt and ran his hand over the soft material. It hadn't really felt real until this moment, it was always a thing that was just a few months away. He breathed deeply and walked over to where the shirt was and sat down underneath it opening his bag. He changed into his training gear and pulled out the Auror boots his dad gave him.

"Cool boots mate." Joe Drummond, a tall fifth year with shaggy blonde hair and one of the beaters came up to him and inspected it for himself. "Not like my boots." He said. "What make are they, there light as."

"My dad made them." said James, he knew they would definitely be illegal.

"Ay, you'll have to get him to make me a pair." He said walking over to his own shirt. James placed them on and they clicked into place. He then pulled on his training shirt, Maroon with black stripes under the armpits, and walked to the training pitch with the rest of the team while Wood wrote down tactics on the chalkboard. James picked up his new broom and walked with the team out to the pitch.

Like before, his footsteps echoed around the stadium and there was still no sight at the end of the tunnel. Just a white light. When he walked out the stadium wasn't full but there were a few people hanging up banners around the stadium. But one caught his eye that was being charmed up by his friends.

 _ **James Potter: Boy Wonder!**_

"Come on Potter, let's start on this drill before Wood busts our balls." Called Rhys Williams, another fourth year with short brown hair and the other chaser on the side. James smiled as Dorcas instructed Sirius who was charming it up. He then looked over at the Slytherin side and saw another banner with his name on it.

 _ **James Potter: Boy Blunder!**_

James heart sank a little again. There just goading you he said to himself, you'll show them, just you see. He went and picked up a quaffle and started to practice throwing it around.

* * *

"Come on Lily!" Dorcas shouted pulling back the curtains. The sun shone over Lily who hid under the covers groaning. This was happening way too often for her liking. She could feel Horatio hiss in disapproval to. At least he loved his sleep to thought Lily.

"Come on sleepy head, it's time to Quidditch!" Dorcas jumped on Lily's bed and then up and down on it. Horatio hissed again and jumped off the bed.

"Go away!" she said, "I helped with that stupid Banner and that's my dew!"

"No, you have to come see it!" said Dorcas. "You promised, one match a year."

"I did, last year." Said Lily moodily.

"School year." Dorcas corrected. "Come on, Its James's debut, we have to cheer him on! The whole school and more is gonna be there!"

Lily was getting annoyed of the jumping on her bed. When Dorcas landed she swung her foot and tripped her up causing her to scream and fall backwards on the bed. As Dorcas looked up Lily rose to. Her hair frayed and array.

"I was planning, on reading!" she said in a low and dangerous voice.

"You promised." Said Dorcas, "Besides, I think James would want you there anyway." Lily sighed and ran her hands in her hair in a fruitful attempt to tame it someway.

"Fine!" She said getting up and grabbing clothes in a huff. "He better steal me a butter beer for this!" Lily showered and changed and went down with Dorcas for breakfast where the team was already eating. Lily looked over at Potter, he had a vacant stare on his face as he ate his breakfast.

"There she is!" Lily snapped out and saw Dorcas with Mary Marlene and Sarah. "Finally got out the shower then."

"Had to tame this." Said Lily pulling on her hair. She sat down and filled her plate with full English and tucked in ravenously. The post came in and dropped a paper in front of Lily who paid the owl and thanked it through a mouthful of bacon and eggs.

She rolled out the front page and saw the headline.

 _ **More deaths in Transylvania! Has Dracula returned!**_

 _ **Full analysis inside!**_

Lily opened the paper and began reading, only to have it promptly snapped it shut.

"What!" she turned angrily to Dorcas.

"You have to get into the mood Lily." said Dorcas with a smirk. "No reading until the matches over." Lily went to protest but thought against it. And mainly because the room erupted into a mixture of applause of jeering. Lily turned and looked at Potter who still looked ahead with a steely stare.

"He looks up for it." said Marlene. "The jeering didn't affect him." Lily frowned slightly.

"He looked nervous." Said Lily.

"Nervous, come of it Lily, he wasn't nervous." Said Dorcas. "He never gets nervous."

Lily watched as he walked out the door. He was nervous, there was something in that stare, something said he wasn't as confident as he usually was. In all the time she knew him he would relish in the acclaim he was getting, except this time. This was definitely different, maybe it rooted deeper into his childhood.

Lily went back to her breakfast while the others talked Quidditch, eventually joined by Sirius and the rest of the boys.

"Was James alright this morning?" Dorcas asked.

"Seemed to be when he got his stuff." Said Sirius. "Why?"

"Lily seemed to think that he was nervous." Said Sarah.

"Pfft, James, nervous?" asked Sirius. "No, James never gets nervous."

"See, told you." said Dorcas. "He was just in zone."

"Sure." Said Lily as shovelled the last of her scrambled eggs into her mouth. "Because James Potter is invincible and doesn't get nervous when the whole schools eyes are on him."

"That's right." Said Sirius. "Glad you get the picture."

"Come on." Said Dorcas patting her on the shoulder. "We have to put up the banner."

"But I haven't finished my tea yet," said Lily.

"You can get some down there." Said Dorcas. Lily huffed and put her baker boy hat on before walking out with Dorcas. "Come on Sirius, we need you to."

"I'm having-" Lily turned on her heel and pointed her wand at him.

"Leviosa!" Sirius's sausages sandwich flew out his hand. Lily swished her wand and it flew straight into his face.

* * *

The stadium was staring the fill up slowly as James was going through his drills. Wood came out and was watching the chasers go through their passing and shooting drills. James could afford a quick look around the stadium and see more banners from Quidditch stars past and present.

But it was his that he could see with his friends behind it watching and talking. Although from down here and from the arena filling up they looked like ants. James went back to his drills, earning applause every time he scored, and then jeers from the Slytherin's when he did.

"Ok team! Let's get started." Wood led them back into the tunnel to thunderous applause from the entire stadium, as the Slytherin's where going in to. The light disappeared into the dark tunnel as James saw the partially empty stadium for the last time. There were no words spoken between the teams as they branched off to the changing rooms.

"Hey, Wood." Wood looked round and saw Alec Potter standing there with Katherine. "I know you have your preparations, but do you mind if I wish James luck. It is his first game after all."

"For you Alec, anything, two minutes enough?"

"Plenty." He said. James breathed deeply as the team walked in. Wood closed the door behind him leaving them alone in the dark tunnel.

"Well, I said third year, looks like you got here a year early."

"What are you doing here?" Said James. Alec laughed and ruffled his hair.

"We weren't going to miss your first game for Gryffindor." He said, "Are you mad?"

"You look so good sweetheart." His mum came up and hugged him. James replied it weakly.

"Thanks." He said.

"You could sound a little more enthusiastic." She said. "I thought you'd be bouncing against the walls with excitement."

"Just concentrating on the actual game aren't you mate." Said Alec.

"Yeah, yeah I am." Said James.

"Well, best not keep you." said Alec. "Or Wood will have your head. Good luck."

"Good luck sweetheart." Said Katherine hugging him again. "Or, Boy Wonder."

"What?"

"We saw the banner." Said Alec. "Well, looks like you have a rep to live up to."

"Yeah…" Said James. "I'll see you after, yeah?"

"Of course." His mum said. "Good luck." They walked away to their seats leaving James alone in the tunnel.

* * *

The stadium was now filling up nicely. She looked over at some of the older years who were banging on the back of the stand.

 _ **Dum, dum, dumdumdudm dumdumdudum. "LIONS!"**_

Lily was sure she could sneak out before anyone noticed she'd gone. Dorcas was acting like a mad woman, Lily didn't really realise how much this meant to her. But quite frankly a good book was better than this so called 'electric atmosphere.'

"I need the toilet." Said Lily.

"But the game's about to start." Said Dorcas.

"I'll be quick." Said Lily. "See you in a sec!" Lily got from her seat. Fully intending on going back to her dorm and reading her paper and her book. She walked out of the building back towards the castle. She was then disturbed by a deep breath. She turned and saw Potter pacing outside the players entrance, he was dressed in his Quidditch uniform but not his jersey.

"Potter?" His head turned to her and his gaze softened.

"Oh, hey Evans." He said, running his fingers through his hair. Lily frowned slightly, if he just ruffled it the other side…

"What are you doing here?" asked James.

"On my way back to the castle." Said Lily. "Quidditch isn't my thing."

"Oh…right." Said James studying her feet. He looked almost defeated before he had even begun.

"Are you ok?" asked Lily.

"Me?" Lily nodded.

"I'm fine, absolutely fine." He said with a nervous laugh and ruffling his hair. Lily raised an eyebrow. James looked back appalled at her.

"You doubt this?" Lily gave him a sympathetic look.

"Potter, I know where not exactly best of friends." She said, "But you can tell me when things aren't ok, you never know, maybe I can help."

"There's nothing wrong with me." He said through gritted teeth. Lily again raised her eyebrow.

"Potter, I can see you are not alright." Said Lily, "Normally you would be revelling in this and you haven't been, which can only mean one thing!"

"Oh yeah, what's that!" he said loudly.

"You're afraid of something." said Lily. "You're afraid of slipping up." James stood motionless, an unreadable expression his face.

"No I'm, not." He said quietly.

"Potter."

"Ok, fine!" he snapped, "Am I scared, yes, I am fucking shitting myself, because I've got one half of the school waiting for something incredible, and the other half waiting for me to screw up! And I don't know what to do!" he sat down on the floor and buried his head into his knees.

Lily stood shocked in front of him for a second. The great James Potter admitting he was scared of screwing up, part of her should have been taking the piss for this. But, against all odds, she smiled. She walked over and kneeled down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't you feel better now? Asked Lily. James looked up at her.

"A little." He said. "But I'm still nervous."

"You're not going to screw up." Said Lily. James looked up at her. "Potter, you've been training for this for over a year, you've trained in this stadium, what's different?"

"It's full." Said James. "And this is the biggest game of the year. He shook his head. "And if I lose it, no one will ever let me forget it." Lily shook her head; he really was a stubborn git.

"Do you know how I know you'll do something incredible?" She asked. James shook his head.

"Because you are incredible." James really did look at her confused now.

"What?"

"I've seen you fly." Said Lily. "You are good. You can do things that, really still make my mind boggle."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Said Lily. "You have always had self-confidence, and now, this is biggest stage in the world for you to show off. Because you are a show off." Potter nodded his head.

"So come on, on your feet." Lily helped pull him up and started to bat his shoulders of all the dirt. "Now, go out there and do something incredible. Like I know you can." James nodded his head.

"Why do you believe in me so much?" asked James. Lily shrugged her shoulders.

"I suppose after what happened with Murdoch. I really do know you can do anything." Said Lily. "All that's left now is for them to know that." She said pointing to the stadium that was behind them.

"Thanks Evans." He said. "Going to wish me luck?" Lily smiled shyly. Before she knew what she was doing she hugged him. He didn't respond straight away, but as soon as he did she pulled away and then ran away from the stadium. "Good luck!" she called back.

* * *

Something vastly bigger than himself swelled up inside him and then went to his extremities. He now felt invincible, like he could do anything. He vaguely watched the red blob of Lily Evans go back into the stadium if she thought he could do it, then…

" _ **We're the red and gold army! We're the red and gold army! We're the red and gold army!"**_

James looked back to the stadium, it was ready for him to do something incredible. James smirked in the corner of his mouth and stormed back into the changing room.

"Right Potter. Ready have mummy and daddy told you can have a galleon for every goal?" asked Wood.

"No." he said. "A go on Drummond's sister every time I score." The changing rom roared in laughter and James went to his new jersey and pulled it off the hanger. Wood went through the team talk while James began to put on his armour. He put on his chest plate and then his jersey.

"Right, remember, chasers, triangles, let's get those passes crisp and precise, and let's get some bloody shots away to. We have a good crowd today, more than Hogwarts. Let's go out there and put on a show.

"BROOHAH!"

"BROOHAH!" the team shouted and they walked out into the tunnel. James stood on the right hand side with Abbey Richards in front of him, thee attractive seeker from the year above in front of him, her rose scented perfume filling up his nostrils.

The noise from the crowd was muffled but incredibly loud, with the rafters above them almost shaking. In the almost pitch black tunnel it created a great atmosphere.

The Slytherin's came out as well and stood next to each other. They all breathed deeply, once again, no talking or sounds. They were swiftly joined by Madam Hooch.

"Mount." James did and looked at the dazzling light at the end of the tunnel. This was it, this was the moment, one that his dad had talked to him about.

"What's it like flying out onto the pitch for the first time?" asked a young James to his dad.

"Ah, see, that, is the one you can never replicate." Explained Alec. "You wait in that dark tunnel and the whole ground is shaking above you. You then mount your broom and you fly out of the tunnel into the most incredible sight in the world."

James kicked up and they hovered in the tunnel, James took a deep breath and they began to fly out.

"What is it?" asked James.

"A huge wall of red." Said Alec. "That you have to swerve to avoid. There's a name for it you know."

The tunnel came closer and closer, the noise becoming more and more unbearable.

"What's it called?"

Alec Smirked.

James flew out the tunnel. The light from the outside momentarily blinding him.

"Into the red."

The noise that greeted him was deafening. James was caught in awe of the biggest wall of red he had ever seen in his life. People waving scarfs and shouting and cheering. James had to swerve to avoid the wall of noise it was that close to the pitch. James hovered above the stadium with the other chasers as everyone got into their positions.

 **Match 1: Gryffindor Vs Slytherin**

 **Hogwarts Stadium**

 **Attendance 5,347**

 **Gryffindor vs** **Slytherin**

 **1:** M. Wood **1:** G. Thomas

 **2:** J. Drummond **2:** M. Morris

 **3:** D. Davis **3:** D. Jones

 **4:** R. Williams **4:** J. Johnson

 **5:** P. O'Riely **5:** T. Flint

 **6:** J. Potter **6:** L. Hammond

 **7:** A. Richards **7:** L. Malfoy

After they called out the names of the players (His name getting a really good ovation.) Madam Hooch was in the centre of the field and released the bludgers. Next, the snitch which fluttered in the air then disappeared from view. Next, the quaffle. James waited patiently on the left hand side of the chaser pack three.

Madam Hooch threw it up into the air, Flint and O'Riely snapped straight into the game and went for the quaffle. O'Riely got there first and quickly threw it over to James.

As soon as he caught he could feel that anticipation around him. Whatever he did next, was going to define him as a player for the rest of his school days.

Two Slytherin players closed in on him. He felt a small flurry of nerves, James gritted his teeth and felt it sink away as he turned. The two players closed in more, and James then threw it over their heads, turned sharply again and dived under them. Easily catching it on the other side.

It was met by wild applause and cheering as James offloaded to O'Riely again who shot for goal.

And scored.

Most of the stadium erupted. O'Riely came over and patted James on the back.

"Good turn back there. That was incredible!"

"Cheers." Said James. Although he wasn't sure whether O'Riely could hear him over the noise.

" _ **We love you! We love you! We Love you!**_

 _ **And everywhere we follow, we follow, we follow!**_

 _ **Cause we support Gryffindor! Gryffindor! Gryffindor!**_

 _ **And that's the way we like it! We like it! We like it!"**_

" _ **OHHHHHHHHH! WHOAAAAAAAAAAOHHHHHHHHHH WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAOHHHHHHHH! WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAOHHHHHHHH!"**_

The goal keeper got the quaffle and passed the quaffle out to the right hand chaser, Jack Johnson. A fifth year that was on a Comet 240. He sped off down the line but was easily intercepted by Rhys who threw the ball over to James who dodged a bludger and then pass it back to O'Riely

O'Riely moved the quaffle out wide to Rhys who attacked down the right wing. He swerved a bludger and passed to O'Riely who passed to James who was inside his own half. James held onto his broom tight and sped off towards the posts.

Past one with a dummy.

Dodged another bludger.

Past the beater who aimed said bludger.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rhys who was in acres of space at the back hoop. But the way James saw it was the back hoop was unguarded. His mind went from setting up another goal to get one myself. Tyrone Flint then came across to tackle him.

"Got you now, boy blunder!" James smirked. He cut inside to almost go head to head with him which brought gasps from the crowd. James went to feign the pass. Flint went to intercept, but James then jumped onto his broom and jumped high.

Flint completely missed him and he was now mid-flight with the quaffle in his hand. He saw that back hoop completely free. James threw the quaffle with all his might and could only watch with the rest of the stadium as it soared towards the goal. The keeper moved across her broom to try and get it. James's heart was in mouth as it curled in the air, missed her hand, hit the hoop…

And fell through.

The cheering that followed the ding was the biggest James had heard yet. He landed on his broom and punched the air.

His first goal.

His first goal for Gryffindor, and the stadium erupted like a volcano. A euphoria like nothing he had ever felt, he just wanted to fly and fly and fly until he ached.

It was better than anything he had ever experienced in his life.

" _ **Here's to you, mighty red'n'gold, Hogwarts loves you more than you will know! OHHHHHHHHH!"**_

When his team mates finally let him go he looked up at the huge wall of red before him and gave them a salute that they cheered.

" _ **POTTER! POTTER! POTTER!"**_ rang around the stadium. James had to be shouted at the get back in position on the left wing. The smile from his face refusing to go away.

* * *

" _ **Williams to left of me, Potter to the right, here I am! Stuck in the middle O'Riely!"**_

"That was good wasn't it?" said Katherine bumping into Alec was watching the game intently.

"Alec…I'm talking to you." she said in a sing song voice.

"That bloody show off." He muttered. Katherine laughed.

"I remember you doing something quite like that in your youth." Said Katherine calming down. "For god's sake just say it was a very good piece of skill and that you are proud."

"But he could off-"

"Alec, he's set up three already, he deserves a goal at least."

"Yeah but." Katherine curled up next to him, silencing him.

" _ **Dumbledore, give us a wave! Dumbledore, Dumbledore give us a wave!**_

 _ **Dumbledore, give us a wave! Dumbledore, Dumbledore give us a wave!"**_

The headmaster smiled and waved back, making the Gryffindor crowd cheer loudly and clap.

"Doesn't he look so grown up?" Katherine asked as James zoomed around.

"Yeah." Said Alec holding her hand as he zoomed round the pitch, and laying off another goal. "He does." Katherine looked at her husband's face. A sad sort of longing on his handsome features.

"Harriet would have been a good player to." Said Katherine, after all these years of marriage she could tell when his mind wondered to her.

"Seeker?" asked Alec looking down at her.

"Yeah." Said Katherine.

* * *

The game was almost passing James like a blur, he didn't know if he'd been out here for minutes or hours.

It was just so much fun, he didn't know why he was so nervous to begin with, he never ever wanted to end.

Especially since he just beat Tyrone Flint with another great piece of skill. He was pulled back by his hood cynically and fell off his broom onto the floor. Madam Hooch blew her whistle for the foul.

" _ **He's just too good for you! He's just too good for you! He's too good for you! He's just too good for you!"**_

James smiled to himself, he liked that chant. He helped up to his feet and kicked off his broom again.

" _ **He's just too good for you! He's just too good for you! He's too good for you! He's just too good for you!"**_

"Keep that up mate!" O'Riely said. The crowd then gasped in unison.

James stopped and watched as Abbey Richards and Lucius Malfoy descended into dives, clearly gaging where the snitch was. James wanted to watch it unfold, but was brought out of it when he was thrown the quaffle. He sped up the wing again, doing a one two with O'Riely before throwing it back post for Rhys who punched it into the nearest hoop.

James looked back to see Abbey and Malfoy still fighting it out. Abbey then pulled up sharply and the doubled back on herself and sped along the floor. Just as Lucius had realised he'd been had Abbey rose victoriously with the snitch firmly in her hand. The Gryffindor part of the stand erupted as the extra hundred and fifty points where added to the score.

James punched the air and saw the crushing feeling of defeat on the faces of the Slytherin's James felt hugs from almost everyone. He looked over at his banner where all his friends were cheering him.

" _ **WHOA WHOA WHOA He's magic! You knowwwwwwww! Never believe it's not sooooooooo!"**_

But amongst the sea of red and gold only one thing stood out to him, Evans…her red hair standing out above everything else to him… She was cheering and clapping her hands and must of saw him staring at her. She smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

If it was possible James's grin widened.

"Well done Potter." Said Wood James's attention now diverted. "Weren't out bad out there where you."

"That was amazing." Said James looking round the stadium. "I've never felt so alive."

"Well soak it in." said Wood patting him on the back. "Hopefully there will be plenty of these days yet to come." James flew off towards the banner which he had tried to avoid.

 _ **James Potter: Boy Wonder!**_

"Do you like it?" asked Dorcas.

"I love it." he said hugging her. "Thank you."

"You were awesome out there mate." Said Sirius, "Couldn't believe that first goal, out of this world good, I bet Flint's feeling like a right chump.

"Yeah, it was good." He looked around, there wasn't that inviting red hair that was usually with Dorcas.

"Where's Evans?" he asked.

"She went back to start on the party." Said Dorcas. "She really enjoyed it as well." James smiled and nodded. "She said you were incredible." James smiled.

"I better go get changed."

He said unable to hide his huge grin. "I'll see you there."

"Will do." Said Dorcas hugging him one last time. James flew down towards the tunnel and dismounted outside the dressing room and walked in, the rest of them cheered on his entry.

"There he is!" Danielle Davis came over, the beautiful other beater and a sixth with dark skin and hair. She was only in her Quidditch trousers and sports bra and gave him a huge hug. James returned the gesture. "You were amazing boy wonder." She said. "You should have seen Flint, he was furious."

"Stop teasing him Dani." Said Wood coming over. "He's only twelve, don't give him unrealistic standards now." Danielle winked and went back to her things.

"Look but don't touch." Wood sat next to James.

"I don't think I'd ever get the chance." Said James.

"Ha, I know you wouldn't." said Wood. James frowned.

"Are you two?" James pointed and Wood winked.

"Wow." Said James admiring Danielle's athletic body. He had to admit, he was a little jealous. "Is it good?" Wood laughed, stood up and slapped him on the back.

"Mate, if I told you, you wouldn't believe me." He walked over and slapped her arse.

"Wood!"

"You want some of that to?"

The room erupted into laughter. Danielle tried her best to look annoyed, but she then smiled. "Well who knows." She said starting to get changed. James did to. This was the best day of his life.

* * *

"Where is he?" asked Katherine. "We said he would be here?"

"Let the boy be." Said Alec. "He's just finished his first Quidditch match. He's probably still getting used to the banter in the dressing room.

"But we're his parents, he should want to come out with us." Said Katherine.

"He's becoming a teenager." Said Alec shifting his weight. "Soon, we'll become uncool and unpopular."

"Not James, surely."

"I thought it of my parents." Said Alec.

"Were different from your parent's though." Said Katherine. "God help me if I turn into your mother."

"Wouldn't of married you if you did." Said Alec looking forward. The changing room door opened and James stepped out. He called goodbye to his team mates and went towards his mum and dad.

"Hey guys."

"Boy wonder in deed." Said Katherine hugging him. "You were amazing sweetheart."

"Thanks."

"That first goal was showing off a bit though." James smirked.

"I had to do something memorable." He said. "That was adequate." Alec rolled his eyes.

"Come on, we have a table booked at the three broomsticks." Said Alec.

"But there's a party later." Said James. "And I have to-"

"A party that will be in full swing by the time you get back." Said Alec. "Trust me, nothing worse than a party that isn't in full swing."

"Really?"

"Your captain and beater haven't come out yet, so I think that they have the same idea." Said Alec.

"They said they were going over plays." Said James looking back at the stadium. Katherine smacked Alec on his shoulder.


	15. Chapter 15

**The Marauders Proudly Present James potter and Lily Evans In The Marauders: Year Two**

 **Chapter Fifteen**

 **A Sticky Situation**

 **Written By Chambers10**

James ran up the stairs two at the time to the tower with his broom stick over his shoulder to try and make it back to the party. He had tried to wrap up the dinner with his parents quickly but his mum wanted to know every little thing that was going on in his life.

How's school.

Are you doing your work?

Are you staying out of trouble?

How's Leanne?

When really he just wanted to get back to the tower and celebrate a man of the match performance for his house and relax. He reached the corridor and walked to the portrait who smirked at him.

"Well done, I heard you did well today." James shrugged her shoulders.

"I did my best. Well, I think I did." The portrait shook her head.

"There all waiting for you inside, and having a good time." she said. "Keep that up and you just might get scouted."

"One can only hope right?" asked James. The portrait rolled her eyes and opened the door. James stepped in and the whole room went quiet. He frowned and walked into the room, maybe they thought he was McGonagall. He walked into the common where he saw his banner hovering above everyone.

 _James Potter: Boy Wonder!_

"There he is!" The room erupted into cheering and applause as James walked in. The room then seemed to walk towards him to congratulate him.

"Awesome mate, where going to win the house cup for sure now!"

"You should of seen Flints face, he was seething, I bet it's really doom and gloom there!"

"Where the hell did you learn to do that Potter!"

"Come on, give the man some room." Michael Wood came over with a butter beer and handed it to James. "He's just had a brilliant game for us, the best in a generation I say."

"Well, I am the boy wonder." Said James. Wood laughed and slapped him on the back.

"That's the spirit." He said. "Come on, we need to discuss how this isn't a onetime thing."

"Trust me, it isn't." said James. "I can do this all the time."

"I'll hold you to that when we play Hufflepuff." Said Wood. "There already talking about it being the showdown of the century."

"Well then, best we get planning." Said James walking over with Wood, he looked over at saw Evans by the drinks.

"Actually…you go on, I'll catch you in a second." He said walking over to her.

* * *

Lily was leaning over the table with all the drinks to get to the butterbeer that was just over there. Literally a fingertip away. She leaned back and blew some hair out of her face, damn her petite frame.

She went to lean over again.

"Here." She turned round and saw Potter, he leaned over easily and grabbed one. He popped the top of with his thumb and handed it to her.

"Oh, thanks." She said taking it from his hand and moving some stray strands of hair behind her ear. "Well done today. You played really well."

"Thanks, but…if you could not tell anyone what went on beforehand…"

"Oh! Yeah, yeah sure." Said Lily dismissively. "Everyone needs a pick me up now and again, looks like it worked yeah."

"Yeah." He lifted his hand awkwardly and then ruffled his hair. If only he did it to the other side, it would look really nice Lily wondered. She then shook her head.

"Well, enjoy your party." Said Lily, "They've been waiting for you."

"My Party?" Lily smiled and pointed to the banner floating above them.

"Point taken." Said Potter. "Well…see you around, Evans."

"Yeah, see you around." He walked off back towards where the rest of the Quidditch team where. Lily watched him go and then turned back toward the sofa where Dorcas, Marlene, Sarah and Mary where.

"What did James want?" asked Julia as she sat down.

"What?"

"We saw Potter coming over to talk to you." said Marlene, "Where you his good luck charm or something?"

"No!" she said a little too quickly. "He just helped me get a butterbeer because I couldn't reach them."

"Oh, is that what you kids call it."

"No nothing like that happened!" said Lily. "Were not friends were just…pals." Mary leaned over to Dorcas.

"What's the difference?" Dorcas shrugged.

"I don't know." She said. "But…you two do seem to spend a lot of time together."

"We do not!" Lily huffed. "You're supposed to be on my side!"

"I don't pick sides." Said Dorcas smirking. "And, if he does keep on looking over at you like he is then something might have gone down." Lily looked over and sure enough Potter was looking over at her. He noticed she was looking back and then looked away.

"Nothing went down!" said Lily.

"Fine, fine." Said Dorcas putting her arm round a scowling Lily. "Nothing's happening, we all believe you."

"No you don't." said Lily having a drink. She looked over at Potter who was chatting away with the rest of the team.

* * *

"You should ask her out." Wood said. James turned to him.

"What?"

"Evans." He said. "You've been constantly looking over at her. Ask her out mate, what's the worst she gonna say?"

"You should, you two would make a nice couple." Danielle said sitting next to Wood.

"She blows hot and cold with me." James said fingering the neck of his bottle of nervously. "Besides, I'm kinda still seeing Leanne."

"She's a nice girl James." Danielle said. "You should get in there before another guy does."

"Christ Dani there only twelve." Wood said shaking his head. "Just a word of advice, be nice to all the girls mate, because the ones that are fit now won't be in their twenties." Danielle smacked Wood on the arm.

"Burk." She said, trying and failing to sound annoyed. "I'm going to find my friends, I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Course." They kissed quickly and Danielle walked away.

"You did well today pal." Wood said patting him on the shoulder. "Just need to work on your reaction time a bit more and you could be captain one day."

"Captain?" James said. "That would be awesome."

"No he's right." Drummond said. "You have leadership, charisma and your bloody good at the sport."

"Seems a long way off."

"Which is why you have to start the work now." Wood said. He threw back his drink and grimaced.

"Fire whisky Potter." He said shaking his head. "The worst but it tastes so good."

"Can I have some?" James asked.

"No, of course not you're to young."

* * *

Lily and Sev where along the corridor towards the courtyard. Lily looked over at Sev.

"You seem down." Said Lily. Sev looked up with a fed up expression. He looked very glum and defeated, and Lily didn't know why, he had done for a couple of weeks.

"It's nothing." Said Sev going back to his work, something stupid that's all."

"Well you can tell me." Said Lily. "Is it about the Quidditch match?" Sev went red, Lily wasn't sure whether it was because he was angry or embarrassed.

"No!" He said forcefully. "That was a fluke anyway, all the hype around Potter was undeserved, I mean he really didn't do anything anyway." Lily raised an eyebrow, when did they suddenly get onto Potter?

"Didn't he get man of the match?" asked Lily dryly.

"Yeah." Said Sev uncomfortably. "But, I mean, in the context of the game he didn't really do a lot, I mean, I could have played better than him." Bingo.

"Oh right, I see." Said Lily smiling and nodding her head. "You were jealous of him."

"Jealous!" said Sev headedly turning round and stopping their path. "You think I'm jealous of that overzealous zealot!"

"He had the attention of the entire school on him, playing a game he likes, it's natural to feel a little."

"I am, not, jealous!" said Snape his tone sharp enough to cut steel. "Not of that idiot anyway." He was looking down intently at Lily who just shrugged non chalontley and placed some stray hair behind her ear.

"If you say so." Said Lily. Ignoring the intensity of his gaze. As she finished saying it a group of older boys were walking the other way. They walked past but then a couple of them turned round and were looking at Lily with stupid grins.

"She's quite fit you know." Said one of them.

"I didn't know you liked black heads."

"No, that Evans in Gryffindor." Lily turned her head but they were already going while Sev looked on furious.

"Did you hear that?"

"No, I didn't." said Sev quickly. "Why don't we get inside. It's getting cold." Lily nodded and looked back at the group of boys.

What did that mean, to be called fit?

* * *

James tapped his foot on the dormitory floor and scratched his chin. He was staring at the banner that was sprayed out across his bed.

James Potter: Boy Wonder!

It was being kept here for the next game but he couldn't help but stare at it. A whole weight of expectation sitting on one banner. And yet he was somehow able to pull it off, maybe some dumb luck.

There as a knock on the door and Wood walked in.

"Ah, Potter, there you are?" He laughed and stood next to him as he looked down at the banner. "You know, I had something similar."

"Did yours say boy wonder on it?" asked James.

"Heh, no." said Wood shaking his head. "What it did say was safest pair of hands."

"That's expectation." Said James.

"But that banner is now framed on my wall." Said Wood. "Do you know why?" James shook his head.

"Because the moments gone, frozen in time, never to be repeated, you have to go out a repeat more history." Said Wood. "So you shouldn't let it bother you. Besides, I came here to tell you there's Quidditch on tonight."

"Oh right, thanks." Said James, still looking at the banner. Wood smiled and patted him on the back.

"See you later, yeah."

"Yeah, see you later." Wood walked out leaving James alone. Frozen in time, never to be repeated. He felt sad at the thought that he was never going to be able experience that moment again. But Wood was right about going out and making more history.

He turned his head sharply to see his friends coming in.

"James will be totally up for it." said Sirius. "In fact, I think that he'll know a way in."

"A way in where?" asked James doing up the envelope on his letter.

"The Slytherin common room." Sirius said with a smirk. "Reglus is becoming a bit of a Black. I think he needs to be put back in his place."

"Right, what did we have in mind?" James asked.

"I was thinking that expansive foam stuff we used." Sirius said pulling his bedside table into the middle of the room so they could gather around it.

"Expansive foam?"

"It's something my dad developed." James said. "A powder than on contact with water would expand into foam which would stop people from getting away."

"And how would that help?"

"It's super sticky." Sirius said with a smirk. "It takes about six hours to fully dissolve."

"Used as an alternative to handcuffs." James explained.

"Do you have any?" Remus asked.

"No, but it's very easy to make up." James said. "All the stuff we need is in the potions cupboard. We just need to brew it."

"How are we going to do that?" Peter asked.

"We'll make it up during a lesson." James said. "Shouldn't be too hard, me and Sirius are always paired together."

* * *

"Messer's Potter and Black, you two are to be split up this lesson!" Slughorn said. James's mouth dropped.

"But professor!"

"No, you two have caused way too much trouble in my lessons, it's time you were split up!"

"Fine, I'll go with Remus then." James said getting his stuff together.

"Not so fast Mr Potter!" Slughorn said. "I think you in particular could benefit from a calming influence and a level head to calm your cheeky personality."

"Professor I really don't think that's necessary." He said.

"Nonsense." Slughorn looked around and his eyes rested on Snape and Evans's table. James groaned, if he was going to be placed with Snape he was in for a long lesson.

"Potter, you will partner Miss Evans for today." Slughorn said cheerily. "If anyone can calm you down, it'll be her."

"WHAT!" Everyone had looked over at Lily who looked horrified at the prospect.

"Now, now Miss Evans. You complain about him more than anyone."

"Oh really." James said looking over at Evans who went red and huffed away.

"I agree with Potter, it really isn't necessary." She said.

"Miss Evans you do not make the decisions here, I do." Slughorn said sternly. "Now, Mister Snape, you go partner Mr Black."

They all begrudgingly moved around, James placed his stuff on the desk next to Lily who glared at him.

"Don't look so angry Evans."

"This wouldn't be happening if you could only behave yourself!" Evans hissed. "But now I'm stuck with you for one of my favourite lessons!"

"I thought you'd like being partnered with the best brewer." James said with a smirk.

"I'm the best brewer!" Evans hissed again. "About the only thing I can beat you in." James pretended to throw an imaginary fishing line and then reeled it in.

"Oh shut up." James tried to stifle a laugh. She looked back at him with an unamused stare.

"Right class." Evans looked slowly back to the front. "Today in your pairs you are going to brew a very complicated potion, the pepper-up potion. The ingredients list is on the bench, you have until the end of the lesson." James went to get it put Evans snatched it from him and began to read through it.

"It would make more sense if we could both read it." James said sourly.

"Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself Potter." She said without looking at him. James sighed and slumped on the desk.

"Pick yourself up Potter, you're cluttering the desk."

"Ha, ha. So come on, what do we need?" She didn't say anything, her eyes still scanning the list.

"Right." She said abruptly. "You heat up the cauldron to boiling point and I'll go get the things."

"Not so fast." James snatched the list from her. She tried to get it back but he was able to put it out of her reach.

"Potter, give it back!"

"Nah, I think I'll go get the ingredients and you can boil the cauldron."

"This isn't funny Potter! Give it back to me!"

"Everything ok over here?" Slughorn asked coming over.

"Fine professor." James said as innocently as possible. "I'm going to get the ingredients while Evans boils the cauldron."

"Ah well very good, I won't keep you then." He chuckled. "See Miss Evans, your good behaviour is already rubbing off on him."

"Sure is Professor." James said walking away, he could hear Evans huff in anger and fill the cauldron angrily.

James waited till everyone had filed out of the potion cupboard and slipped in. James closed the door and looked around the room. He stuffed the potion list into his pocket and pulled out his other one from his robe inside pocket. He consulted the list and began to take random ingredients off the shelf.

"Right, that should be it." James said. Placing some small vials into his robes. All he had to now was to mix it up without Evans noticing.

"Potter!" There was a sharp knocking on the door and Evans opened it. She had tied her hair up and was looking frustrated at him. "What the hell are you doing in here!? I've been waiting for you for ages, everyone has already started and you-" She looked at his empty hands and growled.

"And you haven't even got any ingredients yet!" She shouted barging in. "Urgh! I knew I should have got it myself."

"Hey I was just about to."

"Just about to what, Potter?" She asked. "Just about to…"

"Erm…"

"I thought so." She said grabbing ingredients off the shelf while muttering under her breath. She looked back at Potter and did a double take.

"What are you still doing here!" She said loudly. "Go watch the cauldron."

"Sorry." James said as he sulked away. Lily shook her head irritably

"Evans showing you who wears the trousers James!" Sirius shouted which made the room fall into giggles.

"Why don't you get back to getting essence of snot out of your potion." Sirius frowned while James walked back to the bench. A moment later Evans came storming out of the cupboard.

"Hey Evans-"

"Shove it, Black!" Lily emptied the ingredients over the table. She glared at James.

"Is it boiling?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"Well then, add the smoked peppercorn!"

"Right you are captain!" James said throwing it into the pot.

"Take this seriously please Potter!" Lily said getting her knife out. "Chop up those artimonia skins to."

"What are you doing?"

"Supervising."

"Do you supervise Snivellus?"

"Severus!" She said. "And no, I don't because I know he can be trusted, unlike you."

"Trusted to do what?"

"What he's told."

"Sirius was right, you do wear the trousers."

"I like things done a certain way." Evans said placing some hair behind her ear.

"It's being bossy."

"Being organised!"

"Being-"

"Shut up Potter." She said in an exasperated tone. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Please just be quiet and do the work." James looked over at her and smirked to himself. Once they had added all the ingredients they had to let it simmer and stir it four times clockwise and three times anti-clockwise and then three clockwise and then four anti-clockwise.

"You stir." Evans said walking away. "It should be easy enough for you to handle."

"Ah?"

"Problem?" She asked. Well James was going to use this time to make his potion for the powder.

"No?"

"It wasn't a question." Evans said. "So don't say it like is."

"Well I kind of had other plans?"

"Oh really?" She said. "And what plans might they be?" James bit his lip and tried to think.

"Something…explosive?"

"Then no." Evans said.

"You're not my mum."

"Well I'm sure she'd thank me for making you do your work." She replied easily. She sat down and began to write up the theory for the potion.

"And how am I supposed to write it up?"

"You can ask Black for notes."

"But I want your notes because it's our potion."

"It's not 'our potion.'"

"I don't know, looks like we did make it." James said looking down at the cauldron. "It has your eyes." Evans looked up and glared at him.

"You're not, funny!" She said. She went back to writing. James smirked to himself and stirred.

"You can stop after the fourth anti-clockwise." She said. "I'll take over and you can write your theory."

"Thanks." James said resuming his stirring. "Has Bellatrix caused you any more trouble?"

"No." Evans said shortly. Clearly didn't want to talk about that.

"How about your cat, how's she?"

"He." Evans said shaking her head while smiling. "It's a he."

"Oh, how's he?"

"He's fine." Lily said. "He loves exploring the castle, and playing with me. Seems to of found a home here."

"What's his name."

"You don't want to know that." James smirked.

"I think I want to know now." James said amused.

"Oh look you've finished your turn." Evans came over. She got her wand out and began to stir with it. James walked over to his work and began to write. He didn't for long and looked up at Evans who was concentrating on the stirring, she had her back to him but James didn't mind that so much.

"You named him Horatio didn't you?" She tensed up. Debating whether to tell him or not. Maybe she should just realise that she'd given herself away.

"Ok, yeah, I did." James looked down at his work but could hear her look over her shoulder at him. "Yeah stand there and smirk you little prat."

"What? I didn't do anything."

"You didn't need to." She said looking back to the cauldron.

* * *

"You didn't put it together then?" Sirius said sitting on his bed. "That was the whole point."

"Yeah, well, I was stuck with Evans."

"She does have eyes like a hawk." Remus said looking over. No not like a hawk thought James. More like a diamond, no, an emerald, they were green…and very nice to look at…

"You ok James?"

"Yeah Pete." James said throwing in some more ingredients. "Just concentrating."

"Right, sure, on Evans's backside."

"Shut up." James said in a strained voice as he stirred the potion. This was the tricky part, draining the powder from the liquid.

"Right, hand me the paper." Sirius handed James circular brown paper. James placed it into the funnel. "Right, let's go." James poured the potion into the funnel. The potion trickled into the beaker beneath leaving a cream powder in the brown paper.

"And that's it?" Remus said looking at it. "It doesn't look like a lot."

"It'll do the trick, trust me." James said with pleased smile on his lips. "So, have you found a way in the common room?"

"Uhm…"Remus fiddled his fingers. "I uhm….we haven't figured a way in…" James breathed out slowly.

"What's the point of having a plan if you don't do your part in it." James said shaking his head. "Right." James placed his head in one of his hands.

"What do we know about the Slytherin common room, where are they exactly?" James asked.

"There in the dungeons, just beyond the potion rooms." Sirius said.

"How is it guarded?" James asked. "We have the Fat Lady. What do they have?"

"They have to just say a password to the wall and it gives them entrance." Sirius said rubbing the back of his head. "There's no way I can get it from Reglus otherwise he'll smell a rat."

"Goes for anyone else from Slytherin." James said. "So, we have two options then. We go from above of from below. And since we have the powder, it kinda rules that one out."

"So from the top then." Sirius said. James nodded.

"And how are we going to get in from the top?" Sirius asked.

"Easy." James pointed over to the coal heater.

"We can't fit through that." Remus said seriously.

"Not that you idiot." James said shaking his head. "Were going to go down the chimney."

"You are joking." Sirius said shaking his head. "James, that's idiotic."

"No, we can." James said seriously. "The Slytherin common room has a fireplace, we abseil down the chimney and place the foam into the showerheads."

"Yeah, but it will only work one shower at a time." Remus said. James nodded.

"So we need something that will make them all go at the same time." James mused. "Maybe we could do something to the school plumbing?" Sirius shook his head.

"Nah, that would make all of them go of in all the dorms." Sirius said. "If you want to do that then you need to charm them."

"Using what?" Asked Peter.

"A relay charm." James said straight away. "Charm them all so when one come on they all do."

"Charm the bags." James said.

"This is all well and good planning this but it will only work on one half of the dorm though." Sirius pointed out. "We can't get into the girls ones." They all stopped. They hadn't thought that far ahead.

"Well then…" James smirked and looked over at Dante. "Come here boy." Dante looked up from under his wing. "Yes, you." The owl rolled his eyes and flew over towards James and perched on his shoulder.

"Right, give this to Dorcas." James scribbled a note attached it to Dante's leg. He walked to the window and opened it to howling wind and battering rain. Dante looked back at James and glared at him.

"Less of the attitude." He said. "Go on." Dante flew out into the night and James closed the window.

Five minutes later Dorcas opened the door and walked in. "I hate you summoning me like this."

"We need your help with something." James said. "Hey, where's Dante?"

"I tried to get him to come with me but he seems to be happier sleeping on Lily's bed." Said Dorcas. "And you can hardly blame him, making him send me a message in this." Dorcas sat down on James's bed. That stupid bird thought James.

"So, what do you need a hand with?"

"Can we really trust her with this?" Peter asked.

"If there's one girl who we can trust it's Dorcas."

"What are you four up to?" Dorcas asked.

"Well, we have some of this." James pointed to the powder. "Catching foam. Reacts on water. The plan is to go into the Slytherin dorm, place it in the shower heads and then, well, you can guess the rest."

Dorcas nodded. "Ok, all very good." She frowned. "Why do I come into this?"

"Well, we can easily place them into the boy's showers." James said. "But, the girl's is a bit of a problem."

"And you want me to partake?" Dorcas asked. All four nodded. Dorcas smirked.

"Ok." She said. "Best we get started."

* * *

"All black…really?" Dorcas asked looking down at the balaclava.

"We need to be inconspicuous." James said applying his own. He pulled out the small bags of powder and placed them into rucksacks. He zipped them up and gave one to Dorcas.

"Where do your friends think you are?" James asked.

"I sneaked out." Dorcas said. "They don't suspect anything."

"Not even Evans." Dorcas laughed.

"She loves me more." Dorcas said. "Even if I was caught red handed she wouldn't rat me out, unlike you."

"You do bless yourself with friends don't you?"

"Jealous?"

"No, my friends wouldn't either." James said. They walked out into the hallway where Sirius, Remus and Peter where waiting.

"Right, on we go." James said leading them up the top of the tower. He took them up to the very top of the tower to the hatch to the roof. James jumped up and grabbed the handle to the hatch and pulled it down. James went up the stairs first.

"Lumos." His wand lit up the dark attic while the rest of them came into the room. James ran his hand of the arch to the window. He was hoping that it was just like last time.

"Aquamenti Retracto!" The water seeped out of the rock.

"Aquamenti!" The water ball smashed the rock to reveal the outside.

"Nice." Sirius said inspecting James's handy work. "I'll have to remember that one."

"Easy way to get out undetected." James said holstering his wand. He stepped onto the ledge outside. "But a bitch to actually get onto the roof."

James turned on the ledge. He grabbed onto the ledge and pulled himself up onto the roof. Tall spires with white flags on the top of them that blew violently in the wind.

James helped Dorcas out of the hole onto the roof. The rain was lashing down and the wind was sharp and unpredictable.

"So where's the chimney!" James shouted above the storm. Sirius pointed to the other side of the castle. They made their way over, the tiles on the roof being extremely slippery in the pouring rain.

They scaled over the roof tops to the other side of the castle. When they reached the chimney James looked down at it. The rain hopefully putting out any fire. James got his wand out as did Dorcas.

"Roparo!" James's wand shot out a lasso and it tied round a smaller coal heater chimney. James tested the tautness of the rope and climbed onto the chimney. Sirius took hold of the rope.

"Remember, one tug, up as normal, two, up like hell." James said. He turned to Dorcas.

"See you on the other side." James jumped down the chimney. He fell around ten feet before he grabbed the rope. He stopped sharply and placed his feet on the wall of the chimney. James looked down and made the rope slack again and descended down further. The air started to get very warm. James stopped and looked down. He could see the soft glow of hot coals. This was going to be tricky. James stopped just above the exit to the chimney. James pulled out his wand and pointed it at the coals.

"Carbo frigus!" The coals slowly turned back to their black colouring. James disconnected the rope and tugged on it, indicating that Dorcas could start to abseil down as well. James took this time to look around the Slytherin common room.

The walls were lined with sliver torches that emitted green flames. The fireplace itself was a grand marble with a snake engraved on to it, in front of it where a series of chairs and sofas that where in green leather with silver feet. James walked around for a little bit, the stairs to their dorms went down further into the dungeon, and the walls were filled with portraits of all the great previous Slytherin's.

"Seems a little much." James muttered to himself. He heard a scrape and walked over to the fireplace. James walked over, and Dorcas came down. She stepped onto the coals and walked over to James.

"Ok, where do we go now?" She whispered. James pointed wordlessly to the two staircases. They walked over and they looked at the staircases. Dorcas went to walk down the right staircase because that's what it would be in their dorm. But James stopped her.

He then went to put his foot on the staircase to the left and it lurched up. It was designed to be opposite. They switched round, James saluted her and they made their way down the stairs.

James got to the first dorm and opened it wide. Thankfully, everyone was still asleep. The Dorm rooms themselves had the same decor, green with touches of silver everywhere. James silently walked over to the bathroom and opened it.

He slipped inside.

"Lumos." James's wand lit up and he walked towards the shower heads. James levitated the shower head off and pulled out the powder. James took the shower head off and placed the powder in. James fixed the shower head back up and moved on the next one.

The process itself was quite simple. The trick was trying not to make a sound while you were doing it.

James only found that out on the fifth floor. The one where all the Slytherin's in his year were sleeping. James had made special big ones for this dorm, he wanted to cause such a big mess.

But the sound of the door opening almost caused him to have a big mess.

"Knox!" He hissed. He dived into one of the cubicles and closed the door just the same time as the light came on. James really wished he brought the cloak with him now. He heard the footsteps of whoever this guy was and go into the cubicle next to him.

The sound of this guy peeing filled the room. James wanted to throw up right now. He hoped Dorcas wasn't being held up like this. Finally, the flush went and the guy walked out of the cubicle and walked out of the bathroom and shut the light off. James sighed and walked back out.

That was to close. James finished the sabotaging the remaining showerheads and went to slide out the room. James took one look round the dorm room and saw Snape's bed. James smirked and looked at the bed. He got out a bag of the powder and threw it across the room so it landed softly on the floor next to Snape's bed. James smirked to himself can't say he didn't warn them now.

The others ones didn't cause him to much trouble. He made his way down to the last dorm and carefully opened it. It was the seventh year dorm. He could make out Lucius Malfoy and Tyrone Flint sleeping in the darkness. James creeped in like he had all the other ones and slipped into the bathroom.

"Lumos."

James started to undo the shower heads and fill them up with bags. He got to the second to last one. It was all going well…until he dropped the shower head. James watched with wide eyes as the head fell graciously towards the green tiles. The sound of it hitting the tile echoed round the room.

"Shit!"

"Hey, what the fuck was that!" Shit. James looked towards the door. That sounded like Lucius Malfoy.

"It came from the toilet." Another one said. James froze. The invisibility cloak would really be handy right now.

"He looked to the left and darted into one of the cubicles. The door from the dorm flew open and the lights came on. James was sure they would be able to feel his heartbeat it was beating so loudly and rapidly.

"Check the cubicles." Malfoy said. "It's probably a first year playing a stupid joke." James heard the first cubicle door being smashed open.

James had to think fast or he was a one way train ticket out of Hogwarts and being a squib for the rest of his life. James needed to come up with a plan. He heard another stall being ripped open.

"Empty!"

Crap, there was only two more before they got to him. He needed a plan and he needed it now. What was his dad do in this. Probably throw smoke bombs and try and fight his way out.

James looked up. Would he be able to climb up so no one else could see him? It was the only good idea he had so far.

The stall next to him burst open. That made up him mind. James jumped up on to the toilet and was ready to jump up when they came in.

They tried the door.

"Locked." One of them said. James looked at the wall next to him. I worked when he was younger.

"We got them now!" The stall door burst open.

"There's no one here." Malfoy said as if he couldn't believe it himself. He walked into the stall and looked around. "I heard somebody drop something in here?"

"It could have been Peeves?" One of them offered. Malfoy grunted angrily.

"I hate that poltergeist!" he growled.

James lowered himself into the first stall. He let out a breath of relief. He had no idea how he did that. He poked his head out the door and saw the group of Slytherin's looking in the last stall. He had to get out now. That last showerhead would have to go un-sabotaged. James looked at the open door to the dorm room. That made his mind up and he darted out and into the dorm.

James ran through the dorm and onto the staircase. That was way too close for his liking. He looked down the stairs and didn't see anyone following him. He needed to get out of here now.

The plan was to meet Dorcas here so they could rappel up together. James got to the common room but Dorcas wasn't there. Probably still doing her showerheads downstairs. James was getting tetchy, he just wanted to get out now, he'd spent way to long down there. He heard footsteps.

James instantly turned round and pointed his wand at the staircases. The sound got louder and Dorcas came scampering up.

"Finished?" She nodded.

"Great, let's get out of here."

"How did it go for you?" Dorcas asked.

"The Slytherin's woke up on the last one and checked the bathroom." James said. "I barely got out without being noticed."

"How did you get out of that?"

"You know how I first discovered my powers."

"Yeah?"

"That's." Dorcas narrowed her eyes slightly.

"I didn't know you could still do that?" She said folding her arms across her chest.

"Neither did I?"

"Did they suspect anything?" Dorcas asked while James hooked himself up.

"Nah, course not."

"Malfoy, why are checking the up here."

"Because I heard someone on the stairs I'm sure of it." Dorcas and James looked at each other.

"Is that what you mean by 'course not'?" Dorcas hissed.

"Shut up and hug me!" Dorcas wrapped arms round James and he tugged on the rope twice.

"It was nothing Lucius!"

"You can say that when we get up there and there's nothing!" Both Dorcas and James looked up the chimney.

"What the fuck are they doing?" James asked looking up. He then looked to the staircase and could see their shadows from the torches coming up.

"Come on Sirius."

"I knew I shouldn't have done this." Dorcas said. "The rope then went taut and they shot up the chimney.

"See. Malfoy, nothing. You're just being paranoid." Tyrone Flint said looking round the common room. "No one's out to get you." Malfoy though walked to the fire and kneeled down by the coals. He placed his hands over the coals. They were cold.

He turned up and looked up the chimney and saw nothing, just the blackness. Malfoy growled and got to his feet again.

"I didn't hear 'nothing'." He said. "Something's up, mark my words."

"Yeah, yeah sure." Flint said as the rest of the boys made their way down the stairs. Malfoy looked back at the fire place and walked down the stairs as well.

"What the fuck took you so long?" Dorcas asked as they climbed out the chimney.

"Muggins here couldn't decide whether you tugged on it twice or once." Remus said pointing at Sirius.

"Hey, it was quick and it's dark out here." Sirius said helping Dorcas down. "But you're out, isn't that what's important?"

"Yeah, it is." Dorcas said, "Since James invited company."

"You were almost caught?" Remus said with panic in his voice.

"The seventh years woke up as I was sabotaging the showerheads." Explained James. "It was close but we got out. And why we needed a quick escape."

"Look, let's not worry about that now. Let's get back before people get suspicious." Dorcas said starting to walk back.

"To a prank well done." James said holding up a butterbeer. The rest of them cheered and chugged the nectar back.

"So when will we know?" Dorcas asked.

"Trust me, we'll know." James said. "He threw that last of the powder into the coal heater and saw it crackling.

"Can't leave any evidence."

"Will it burn by the morning though?" Sirius asked.

"I've placed something in there to make it go quicker." Remus said.

"Well. It's been fun." Dorcas said stretching. "But I have to get back before the girls think something's up. Pleasure as always." She got up and bayed them goodbye.

Dorcas slipped back into the dorm. Merlin she was tired. She pulled her black jumper over her head and threw it to the floor. She looked over at her bed side table and smiled at the letters on there. Maybe she would read them before she went to bed.

"Dorcas?" Lily walked out of the bathroom. She was bleary eyed and rubbing her hair. "You're back, where have you been?"

"Oh, nowhere." Dorcas said sheepishly.

"You've been gone for ages."

"Don't worry about it Lily." Dorcas said. "Just go back to sleep." Lily mumbled something and walked back to bed. Dorcas sighed and climbed into bed herself and smiled. She was actually looking forward to this.

* * *

Severus woke up and stretched his aching body. He pulled his sheets back and looked at the clock. It was half six. Perfect, he could grab a shower before anyone could. He stepped out of bed and stepped on something. He instantly brought his foot back and looked down at what he stepped on.

It looked like a bag with yellow powder. Snape picked it up and looked around the room. Where had this come from? What was it, was it one of his friends. Was it dangerous? He placed it on his bedside table and walked to the shower room. His mind still thinking about how strange it was to find something like that on the floor.

He hung his robes up and walked underneath the shower and went to turn it on. The shower spluttered. Severus growled irritably and tried again. But again, just a groaning sound. Almost like it was blocked.

Severus tried again and the water came streaming out. Thank merlin for that Severus thought. The shower cut out again.

"Oh for Fu-"

An explosion of yellow foam blew up the shower head. Severus didn't even have time to run as the foam quickly expanded all around the room. It wasn't just this bathroom but every single one in the whole dungeon.

The foam made its way through the bathroom and straight into the dorm room.

"Hey!"

"What the hell is this?"

"Is that foam?"

"It's so sticky!"

"I'm stuck!"

"It's quiet." Lily said looking over at the Slytherin table. There wasn't anyone at the table, it wasn't like an entire house to just not…be there.

"Maybe there stuck doing something." Dorcas said with a slight smirk.

"Even you can see that's odd." Lily said. "I haven't seen Sev this morning."

Dorcas shrugged and went back to her breakfast. She looked up and saw James and his friends came into the hall. They looked over at the table and laughed uncontrollably and sat down next to Dorcas.

"Morning everyone. How are you all?" Potter asked.

"Fine." Lily said. "Have you seen any of the Slytherin's today?" She asked. "None of them have come in yet."

"Missing your little boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend." Lily said. "I find it just strange that-"

There was a commotion at the front of the doors. Lily looked over and saw a few people walked out quickly. Word spread like wild fire, gossip rippling through the crowd.

"Hey, did you hear?" An excited first year came scampering over. "The Slytherin common rooms been flooded!" He said excitedly. Lily threw her fork down and walked away.

"Flooded?" Sirius said shaking his head. "It's so much more awesome than that."

Lily weaved her way through the crowds of people making their way to the Slytherin common room. One plus side of her petite frame was that she could weave in and out of crowds quite easily. She finally got to the huge crowd gathered outside. Lily weaved her way to the front of the crowd and pushed to the front.

All she could see was Professor Slughorn scratching his head while looking inside the dorm that was full of yellow foam.

"I don't understand, how did this happen?" Lily frowned. She had a pretty good idea how it happened.

* * *

 **Sorry...I know, it's been a while...**

 **Not that I haven't wanted to update but I have just changed jobs which has meant a huge up heave in my life. It's required a lot of homework and getting used to, going part time to full time takes a lot of getting used to and so has taken a lot more of my time andenergy. But on the bright side it's all going well and I've been told I'm being taken on permanently(Result!) So I can stop worrying about that and getting on with this again like I've wanted to.**

 **If only I could get paid for this, then life would be so much simpler.**

 **Happy reading.**

 **Chambers**


	16. Chapter 16

Who would have thought that the third game into the season would toss up such an interesting encounter, no one would have guessed after the first round of fixtures that it would be Gryffindor sitting pretty at the top of the table on points.

After their impressive win against Slytherin in round 1 they'll be looking to carry on this rich vein of form. However they come up against one of the best teams in Hogwarts existence in Hufflepuff. There exciting brand of Quidditch first thought up by Tobias Clough over ten years ago has kept fans thrilled for decades, and has brought through many players that have kept this brand alive.

Rhiannon Davis is the woman keeping this team together at the moment, the cousin of Clough himself she has led this team to back to back titles since she made her debut as a second year.

The team have not lost in nearly four years and gave todays opponents a substantial bloody nose when they faced last time. But what's changed this year? Why is it that where now saying Gryffindor has the best chance of beating Hufflepuff for a generation. The answer?

James Potter.

After his dynamite debut against Slytherin, many are predicting that he will have a bright future in the game. And he will…

Just not this year against Hufflepuff. Even the best well drilled sides in the world can beat Hufflepuff on their day.

There three chasers have been in splendid form, especially the chaser young Potter will be up against. Ulysses Fawley. His goal scoring form has been right up there with Hogwarts greats, his combative style of play will taste Potter's defensive qualities so much so he might get a chance to show off his attacking quality.

The Gryffindor team has shown promise of what they can achieve in future and maybe next year might be there year, but for now, the present rests with Hufflepuff. But we can only speculate, the real dissection begins when they get out onto the pitch.

 **The Marauders Proudly Present James Potter in The Marauders: Year Two**

 **Chapter Sixteen**

 **Potter Vs The World**

 **Written By Chambers10**

James woke up bright eyed and raring to go. Instead of being nervous like he was before the last game he was happy, confident and raring to go. He whipped the sheets off his bed and went get out, but he slipped and fell down on the sheet.

"Ow."

"What the hell are you doing?" James looked up and saw Sirius looking down at James with a bleary looking.

"Getting ready for Quidditch." James said. "It's the Hufflepuff game, remember?"

"You're an idiot." Sirius said flopping back down on the bed. James got to his feet and pulled his Quidditch bag out.

"I'm going for a run. Tell Wood if he comes looking for me."

"Fine." Sirius said around a yawn.

James pulled a training top over his head and went to the door.

He liked running, it gave him a great perspective on everything while he was mulling things over. He ran out into the grounds, the cold winter air a nice boon for his hot skin as the cold wind whipped around, his steps crunching underneath the dead leaves on the ground leading up to the forbidden forest.

James ran down the path towards the clearing that he had crash landed into. James found the ledge and pulled himself up to the ridge. He saw the castle at the other end of the lake. James sighed and sat down cross legged and breathed out. It really was a nice.

* * *

"But you enjoyed the last one!" Dorcas said tugging on Lily's duvet. "Come on Lily, get up!"

"No. I said one game a year, and I've done it. Now let me have my lie in." Lily said grumpily. She pulled her duvet over her head.

"Fine! Stay here with your cat then." Lily looked up and saw Horatio looking expectantly at her.

"Come on Horatio, we can have snuggles." The kitten bounded over, Lily scooped him up and pulled the duvet round them.

"I think me and Horatio are going to be just fine." Lily said smiling and closing her eyes. Dorcas shook her head and walked out the dorm. Lily kissed Horatio's fur and snuggled into the covers.

"See, these are called lie ins." Lily said to Horatio. "We can just stay in bed and enjoy how comfortable the bed is." Horatio looked at her for a second before leaning into her face. Lily giggled petted him behind his ears.

* * *

"Chasers remember the triangles, beaters, hit the bludgers out wide! Everyone's been looking forward to this game all week. The trouble makers have been on there best behaviour to watch. Even the nerds who hate it have come down for this game expecting something incredible. Let's go out there give them a show." They all nodded and walked out into the tunnel where the Hufflepuffs where already waiting for them.

James took his position next to his opposite number, a blonde haired fifth year who looked almost twice the size of James. He looked at James and smirked.

"You are going down today, son." He said. "Your debut was impressive but even a toddler could get the upper hand on Slytherin." James said nothing and stared right ahead at the light leading outside.

"You best enjoy yourself now, this is going to be the worst game of your life."

"You really are shit at trash talking aren't you?" Abbey Richards snorted from behind him. "If you're going to do it, make sure you do it right." He screwed his face up at James

"What do you know about it?"

"Ok, how about this." James turned and thought for a second.

"You better get a good look at me now." James said. "Because there's no way you're getting this close to me all game." James looked at the guys broom. "Not on that anyway." He said pointing at it. "I hope your mum didn't brush the toilet floor too hard with it before you took it out."

"You cheeky little!" He went to grab James but stopped when Madam Hooch's door banged open. He stopped and went back into line with a look of thunder on his face.

"You're dead." He mouthed. James smirked and looked ahead. The sound on the stadium filling up his ears.

"Mount!" James swung his leg over. They kicked up and hovered in the tunnel before flying out of the tunnel and into the red. The huge wall of red greeted him and roared in his presence.

He did a couple of laps to loosen up and went on the left wing where his opponent for the afternoon laid waiting for him.

"You're going down you cocky prick!" He shouted. James smirked.

"Come and get me princess." James called back.

 **Match 2: Gryffindor Vs Hufflepuff**

 **Hogwarts Stadium**

 **Attendance 5,245**

 **Gryffindor Vs Hufflepuff**

 **1.** M. Wood **1.** B. Edwards

 **2.** J. Drummond **2.** A. Mawdsley

 **3.** D. Davis **3.** S. Abbott

 **4**. R. Williams **4.** U. Fawley

 **5.** P. O'Riely **5.** S. Hector

 **6.** J. Potter **6.** R. Davies

 **7.** A. Richards **7.** S. Moore

Madam hooch threw the quaffle up in the air while O'Riely and Hector went in for the red ball. Hector got it first and threw it imeadietly out wide to Ulysses Fawley on the right wing where he was going up against James. Fawley caught the quaffle and descended on James who was exposed. The best he could do was keep him back and pass the quaffle back inside.

But he went to try and get past James. James shook his head. Big mistake.

Ulysses sped up, James flew to the right and punched the quaffle out of his grasp. James caught the quaffle and then sped up. He passed the halfway line and Samantha Hector came over. But on her comet 264 she wasn't catching James and that meant she left Pat and Rhys in the middle unmarked. James threw the quaffle over so it behind Samantha. Pat had gone forward to draw Sam in. Rhys caught the quaffle and threw it in the lower hope.

The ding rang round the ground along with the roar of the crowd. James punched the air and looked over at Fawley who caught his eye and looked away in a huff. James got back into his position and the game restarted.

* * *

Lily smiled at how peaceful Horatio looked sleeping on her mattress. Maybe he'd like to sleep in here permanently. Lily pulled her hair back and kissed the top of his head and quietly slipped out of bed. She got her radio and book and went down to the common room that was surprisingly bare. Lily walked to the sofa by the fire and placed her book and radio on the table next to it.

She then walked to the fire and threw another log on and stoked it around. There was a huge cheer that made Lily turn to the window. She went over to it, placing some stray hair behind her ear as she went and saw the stadium. Lily smiled, that meant peace and quiet for a few hours.

She sat in front of the fire and opened her book.

* * *

James caught the quaffle and turned on his broom. He was in the corner of the pitch with Fawley coming towards him. James dodged a bludger and went to throw it. Fawley made himself big to block the shot James feigned and saw Fawley fly past him. James flew in field and threw the quaffle back to O'Riely who caught it and smashed it through the hoop.

James smirked and turned to see Fawley glaring at him. "Should have been quicker." James said flying back.

" _ **We're the red and gold army! We're the red and gold army! We're the red and gold army!"**_

James caught the quaffle and went too speed past Fawley. It looked like James was going to beat him as well.

But James felt a heavy kick to his side. There was a synchronised gasp from around the ground as James fell off his broom. He fell quickly and smashed into the stand, rolling onto the feet of some spectators. James groaned.

He stayed still for a few moments, his hearing was fuzzy, like everything was coming from the end of a long tunnel, the only clear thing he could feel was his own breathing. James got to his knees and craned his neck.

"Uuuuuukpoter?" James looked blankly ahead.

"Poteruuuuuk?" James closed his and breathed out, causing his ears to unblock.

"You ok Potter?" One person asked. James opened his eyes. He ran his hand over his side and winced. He then looked up at pitch and saw Fawley being reprimanded by Madam Hooch. The red mist descended on James and he got to his feet.

"I need to borrow this." He grabbed a can out of one of the spectators hand and threw it. It sailed through the air and hit Fawley on the back of the head. There was synchronised oh and laugh from around the ground. Madam Hooch looked on stunned at him, as did everyone else on the pitch, Fawley then turned and looked down at James who was pointing at him.

"Come down here and do that again if you think your hard enough!" James shouted.

"Mr Potter!" Madam Hooch came swooping down. "How dare you!"

"How dare I?" James said bemused. "Did you see what he did?" James said pointing at Fawley.

"I did see and I've warned him."

"Warned him!" James said, not quite believing it himself. "Did you see that! He's going to do that again!"

"He will not I assure you."

"Are really so naive! You've lost this game already!" James said before thinking. Madam Hooch narrowed her hawk like eyes at him.

"Wood! Here, now!" Wood came shooting over.

"What is it?" Madame Hooch pointed at James.

"Get him under control before I dismiss him for decent."

"Oh so I get threatened with dismissal and he gets away with a warning! You're full of shi-"

"Potter!" Wood pushed him back. "Yes, of course, let me have a word with him." Madame Hooch turned and flew off.

"What the hell?"

"James, keep your mouth shut!" Wood snapped. "I know it was a foul and you've been robbed but you need to keep your mouth in check!" Wood picked up James's broom and thrusted it into his hand.

"You've had the better of Fawley all game but he's got in your head. Just keep doing what you're doing." James mounted his broom and Wood went to fly away.

"And don't answer back to Hooch!" James mounted his broom and flew off out of the stands.

" _ **We love you! We love you! We Love you!**_

 _ **And everywhere we follow, we follow, we follow!**_

 _ **Cause we support Gryffindor! Gryffindor! Gryffindor!**_

 _ **And that's the way we like it! We like it! We like it!"**_

" _ **OHHHHHHHHH! WHOAAAAAAAAAAOHHHHHHHHHH WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAOHHHHHHHH! WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAOHHHHHHHH!"**_

"Still here Potter." Fawley laughed. "Surprised Hooch let stay on the pitch with that dive!"

"I got that target on the back of your head once princess." James said. "I bet I can hit it again." Fawley shook his head and flew off.

"Here." Rhys threw James the quaffle. "Free pass." James looked down at the quaffle and then at the hoops. His mouth curled into a smile.

"This game is mine." James passed the quaffle to O'Riely and sped off behind the defensive line. Pat threw the quaffle back to James who caught it and in one fluid moment threw it through the hoop. The Gryffindor end erupted.

James turned and got back into position. Red hot blood fused with adrenaline coursing through his veins that made him want Hufflepuff to pay now. He didn't want to just beat them. He wanted to destroy them.

The game restarted, Rhys got the quaffle on the wide right. James sped off from the left down through the middle of the pitch.

"I'm Open!" Rhys looked up and threw the quaffle over. The keeper came speeding out to try and intercept. James though got there first and punched the quaffle over his head. The quaffle gracefully flew in the wind and lobbed gracefully into the hoop. The stadium cheered again. James felt the rest of the team surround him and pat him on the back.

"Brilliant piece of play mate!" Pat said getting him in a big bear hug. "We should try that one more often."

"Get off me!" James shrugged them off. "Let's go again!"

"Dude, chill." Danielle Davis said. "Were fifty ahead."

"Not enough!" James said flying off. Pat and Danielle watched curiously as Jam s flew back to his position.

"Is it me or has he got a real bee in his bonnet?" she asked. Pat watched James turn straight ahead, his eyes completely focused on the quaffle.

"Maybe." He said readying himself. "But let's use that anger. Give him the quaffle."

"What?"

"His anger is giving him focus." Pat said. "Let's use that, he's going to entertain that crowd like no one else here. He's playing without fear."

"You say that like it's a good thing."

"Against these Dani, we need someone like that, someone who doesn't know the stakes." The Keeper threw the quaffle out the Fawley and James clattered into him, sending him flying in field.

"FOUL?"

"Fare charge, carry on!" Madame Hooch shouted. James cut inside on the broom and dodged a bludger. He then threw the quaffle high into the top Hoop. He instantly turned round and got back into position.

The Hufflepuff keeper angrily threw the quaffle out to his left to Rhiannon Davis who was able to get the jump on Rhys and sped down the wing towards goal she threw it in field to Hector who played a lazy pass in field that James got hold off.

He didn't look around. He just sped off. One thing and one thing only on his mind.

Goal.

Hector came over but James shrugged her off easily.

Alex Mawdsley aimed a bludger at the tip of his broom which James barrelled rolled out of the way forcing him wide.

Fawley then came sweeping over and charged him, almost knocking him into the crowd, causing lots of them to duck out of the way. He went for a second attempt but James kicked the tip of his broom. Causing Fawley the swerve into the crowd.

James then started to cut infield with a huge burst of speed. Everyone in the stadium got to their feet slowly.

Sidney Abbot went to knock him off his broom but James stood strong and knocked him away.

He was now in a straight race with Rhiannon Davis for the goal. She tried her best to slow James down, even resorting to pulling on his jersey.

The speed was too much and she tumbled off her broom. James was now one on one with the keeper. He was still heading slightly to right of the hoops, the keeper came out to narrow the angle.

James slowed for a second before dropping his shoulder and bursting to the right more, giving him the half a yard he needed. He pulled his arm back and threw the quaffle with all his might. It sailed past the keeper. Gaining height all the time. The whole stadium fell silent as the quaffle rose higher, smacking the underside of the hoop and in.

Two sides ground roared with approval of what they had just seen. James flew to the Gryffindor end and held up his left arm in acknowledgment. His team though weren't letting him off the hook that easy.

They all flew into him to weigh him down. It was a goal of all the things that made great Quidditch players, speed, skill, finesse and creativity. The Hufflepuff players where in shambles, they looked down at the floor. Their heads dropped, the will for the fight leaving them after they'd all been well and truly been outdone by a second year. The once great team they had been now torn apart by this boy.

" _ **He scores when he wants! He scores when he WANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNTS!"**_

" _ **His name's James Potter! He scores when he wants!"**_

Madame Hooch was going round trying to pick the Hufflepuff players up while James was still being mobbed by his team.

"I think they want the game to be over now." Joe said with a smirk.

"Not on your life." James said. "I'm having too much fun!"

" _ **WHOA WHOA WHOA He's magic! You knowwwwwwww! Never believe it's not sooooooooo!"**_

* * *

In muggle boxing and baseball they have what's called a mercy rule. It's where the referee can stop a game or fight when one side is hopelessly out played and beaten. To be honest, Hufflepuff could have done with such a rule being enforced today. The great team of Hogwarts that has blown away all that has come before them was given a very sombre humbling today.

We knew that this new and revitalised Gryffindor team with the energetic yet unpredictable James Potter would give them a game and push them, but no one could have predicted this.

The pre match had been about how Gryffindor would keep Hufflepuffs explosive and experienced chasers at bay after being torn apart by them twice last season, but next year it will definitely be how do the other teams keep James Potter quiet.

Gryffindor started the game the better with their new high pressing game really paying off with three quick fire goals to take them into an unlikely lead. After gathering themselves Hufflepuff scored a couple of goals themselves and began to get more physical with their opponents, shades of their game against Slytherin in 1970 where they were kicked off the pitch and gave it back to them. And it may of gone that way (a 210-190 result for Hufflepuff for our younger listeners.) had it not been for one man.

James Potter.

After his impressive debut against Slytherin many thought that the sheer force of Hufflepuff would expose the young left winger, leaving him with a very harsh lesson, epically against the impervious Ulysses Fawley who had scored two hundred and seventy points in his last eight games.

But after having the better of Fawley he was unceremoniously kicked into the stand by Fawley after a creative piece of skill by Potter. His youthful inexperience and naivety showed through when Potter threw a can from the stand at Fawley as he was being reprimanded.

The red mist descended on Potter, it was obvious to see, but after a stern talking to from his captain he could have gone one of two ways.

Dismissal.

Or Greatness.

Thankfully he chose the latter.

After Rhys Williams gathered the quaffle Potter made a defence splitting burst towards goal. Take nothing away from Williams's impressive pass to him but it was all about the finish from Potter. It looked like Williams's pass was over hit with Ben Edwards coming out to gather the seemingly lose ball. But Potter used that turn of speed to get there first but still had a lot to do. A first time punch sent the quaffle sailing over the helpless keeper and dipping beautifully into the hoops sending the crowd into delirium.

But the best was yet to come.

Potter got possession after a rough tackle on Fawley that sent him sprawling but was deemed a good tackle and sped off. You could only see one thing on his mind. He sped away from a weak tackle from Hector and then from a well-aimed bludger from Mawdsley.

Fawley, not happy with the first tackle came speeding back to have another crack at the young winger. Potter though was too quick and too powerful and sped away easily from him. After knocking away Abbot he was in a straight race with Rhiannon Davis for goal. But with his superior broom it was always going to be one winner, even if Davis tried to tug him back. That tug sent him wider than he would have wanted and found himself with the imposing figure of Edwards

When one on one he showed composure beyond his tender years and sent a fizzing shot past Edwards and smashed off the underside of the top hop and in. Anyone in that old stadium will know that it was hair standing moment, a dawn of a new era of Quidditch.

The Hufflepuff players seemed to know it, dead on their feet, the will for the fight gone. It was a case of how many after that, and it was a lot. An eye watering score of 510-30 really didn't do Gryffindor justice, it should and could have been more, Hufflepuff where almost glad when Abbey Richards caught the snitch, maybe Quidditch's own version of the mercy rule.

The dawn of new empires usually means the destruction of an old one, and that's just what happened here. The Gryffindor fans were in full voice after the game and they had every right to be, nervous applause from the other sides of the ground knowing that they have to play this side next.

* * *

The door opened into the common room and Lily looked up from her book, people coming back from the game. Judging by the excited attitude of the first years Gryffindor must have won.

She didn't have to wait long for her friends to come back.

"There she is." Dorcas said plopping next to Lily. "Little miss I want to read."

"And I got through a whole book doing so." Lily said smiling. "Was it a good game?"

"One of the best." Julia said. "James was amazing, I think he must have scored over half the points."

"I doubt that." Lily said frowning.

"I'm going to put my stuff upstairs." Julia said.

"So Potter had a good game then." Lily said shutting her book.

"He was really good." Dorcas said. "That Hufflepuff team was torn apart by him." Lily nodded half-heartedly. Dorcas shook her head.

"LILY!" Lily looked up at the dorms. "GET UP HERE!" Lily got to her feet and with Dorcas ran up to the dorm. Julia was by the door with a furious look on her face. She pointed to the door. Lily peered inside. The whole room was full of unravelled yarn with a happy Horatio patting around a purple one.

"Ah." She looked round at Julia who raised her eyebrow.

"Heheh." Lily smiled awkwardly and backed into the room and looked down at her kitten that looked very pleased with himself.

"You are honestly causing me nothing but trouble." She picked Horatio up and kissed the top of his head as the other girls walked into the dorm. "What on earth have you done, you were sleeping when I left you." Horatio though was content with the hug from his master.

"It's not that bad Lily." Dorcas said picking up a thread of yarn.

"You're Right, I can fix this." Lily said looking round. She placed Horatio down on the bed and he flopped over on it.

"Yeah you lie and smirk." Lily said finding her wand.

"Why do you need so much Yarn anyway?" Marlene asked.

"Out I thought it gave the place a homey feel why the hell do you think!"

"All right calm down…"

"Come on it wasn't Lily's fault." Sarah pointed out.

Lily though was looking at Horatio jump off the bed and walk out the room with his head held high.

"That cat has a serious attitude problem." Lily said starting to reel in the yarn.

* * *

"There he is!" The whole room erupted when James walked in. Nearly everyone who was there came over towards him to congratulate him on his triumph. But to be honest he just wanted to relax and unwind. There were so many people asking about the days game that James wondered whether they had seen the game at all.

It was a couple of hours later when James sat down on the sofa and threw his head back, it had been a long day. And to be honest he was sick of talking about Quidditch. To be honest he just wanted to go to bed. James frowned and looked down at his feet to find a kitten rubbing against his foot. It looked up at James with its big eyes.

"You're Evans's cat aren't you?" James said reaching over and starching him behind his ears. The kitten purred. "Come here." James picked him up and sat him down on his lap.

"Horatio, isn't it?" James wondered. The cat yawned and curled up in his lap.

"Not willing to share anything, wise move." James said continuing to scratch him. "And where is she anyway?" The cat purred. James sighed.

"I guess you didn't see the game. I bet you don't care how it went." The cat flipped his tail from side to side.

"What does Evans see in you?" James asked.

"I wonder the same thing." James looked up to see Evans looking down at him. She sat down next to him and scratched her cat.

"I thought all girls like cute cats."

"We do." Evans said with a small smile. "But he's just got so much attitude it's beginning to be a hindrance rather than cuteness."

"You couldn't bear to get rid of him."

"After what I've had to clear up you can have him. He likes you." As if to emphasise her point Horatio curled up in James's lap.

"Why, what did trouble do?" He wasn't even looking at her, instead he let his fingers glide through Horatio's ginger fur.

"He knocked over all of Julia's yarn and threw it all around the dorm." Evans said stroking Horatio's head. "He looked so pleased with himself." James laughed.

"Well he's been nice company. He doesn't want to know how today went even though he saw it."

"I thought you'd love that."

"It gets boring repeating the same story." James said, his fingers resting in the fur. They sat in silence for a while, almost watching the party happening around them while they both stroked Horatio.

"One last time." Evans turned to face him, whipping her hair out of the way. "Because everyone's been talking about it, that solo goal, how awesome was it to score it." James smiled to himself.

"Did you mean to do it?" James shrugged.

"I do what comes naturally." Said James. "I see it, I do it."

"But was it awesome to score?" James frowned and looked over at her.

"Why do you want to know?" She shrugged.

"I dunno, I guess it would be pretty awesome to score something like that, I bet you wish you could bottle that feeling."

"I didn't really enjoy it that much." James said after thinking about it. "I was that angry and frustrated I didn't really know what I'd done until I'd seen it." He looked down at Horatio.

"I guess I should have savoured it a bit more."

The radio whined causing James to stand up quickly and send Horatio to the ground with a hiss. Everyone looked round at the radio it then went static, like what happened last year.. The whole room was plunged into darkness, the flames from the torches and fire place then rose slowly, but with blue flames. James walked towards the radio while everyone else stood still.

"Greetings, brothers and sisters. It is us, the Sons Of Salazar." The room went into synchronised muttering.

"It's them."

"What do they want now."

"Shush!"

" _Prior to our last conversation your Ministry of Magic seem to have…dismissed us. They seem to think of us as another small group that will die out._ " He chuckled.

" _Minister, I assure you, we are far from a 'small group' as our attack on the boulevard has shown, we are not only resourceful, but far reaching. As I will demonstrate to you now._ "

A new sound came over the radio a microphone being moved to someone new, someone who was whimpering, someone crying over the radio. It was a woman's voice, scared.

" _Tell the good people your name my dear._ " He said. The woman said nothing, she only cried more, no sound coming out over tears and chokes.

" _Don't be shy._ " The rasping voice said, it sounded so nurturing, but with the under lying menace in his voice. " _Tell them your name._ "

" _Sally._ " She choked out. " _Sally…Travers_." She broke down into tears again. Parts of the room gasped in shock. They must have known her.

" _Now, Miss Travers. You are from one of the most affluent families in the wizarding world, isn't that right?_ " Sally said nothing, again, only her crying was the only sound she could seem to make. He chuckled again.

" _I'll answer for her._ " He said. " _Miss Travers here, is the only daughter of Donald and Daisy Travers, members of the exclusive 'Sacred Twenty Eight'. She has had a life of extreme extravagance, has never had to worry about money, or food, or a roof over her entitled head. An Education that people can only dream off. She was head girl two years ago, got O's in her NEWT's. Looking forward to a glittering career in the Department of Foreign Affairs._ "

" _H_ o _wever, despite all this, she has decided to desegregate her proud, noble name, and body. By marrying a filthy muggle bastard. Get this, he's a policeman!_ " There was group laughing over the radio. _"He sounded so eager to find you, his wife. Yes, you heard me right. His muggle loving slut, is actually Sally Chapel, his wife!_ " There was more laughing that took longer to die down. " _He told me he was going to kill me if even touched a hair on your perfect head._ "

There was more laughing, but more crying from her.

" _All this and you throw it away for some muggle._ " He said in a disgusted tone. " _You are a disgrace to your blood line and to your family. And because of this, you will pay the consequences._ " Footsteps rang out. " _But before I grant this world a great service. I will grant you a chance to beg, beg for your life._ "

Sally said nothing at first, her mouth must have been dry from all the crying she had been doing.

" _You have nothing to say?_ " He asked. " _Don't you want to beg for your life_?"

" _Not, to you_." There was a pause.

" _Avada Kedavra!_ " There was a weird sound and then the thumb of a body falling onto the floor. It felt the life had been sucked out of the room to. There was an odd silence while they waited for the radio.

" _Minister…no one is safe. Not Mudbloods, not half breeds, not even purebloods that don't follow our ideology. If you too want to suffer the fate of Mrs Chapel, then I suggest that you start spreading our name._ "

" _We are the Sons of Salazar, and remember, diversity is a sin_."

The radio cut off, leaving everyone in the room in silence and in shock. The blue fire dimmed and then roared back in normal colour. Some people were in tears, while other stood shocked and confused.

"Everyone, go to your dorms." Alice said straight away. "Walk, don't run, we'll be up in a moment. Prefects stay here."

Everyone walked to the dorms quietly, not really knowing what happened or really how to react. Lily walked into their dorm. No one, not even Marlene could talk.

Lily got changed in a trance and found herself in bed. She couldn't believe what she just heard? They had killed a girl who had married a muggle…a muggle like her. She pulled the duvet round her more tightly. What if that happened to her? What if her future husband met that fate.

Lily shook her head. Hopefully it should be all over by the time she marries someone. A few tears leaked from her eyes, what if people started to blame her for what was happening?

"You ok Lily?" Dorcas sat down on Lily's bed. Lily wiped her tears away from her eyes with the edge of her duvet.

"I'm fine." She croaked out. "Just…"

"I saw you crying." Dorcas said lightly. "It's ok to." Lily looked up and saw Julia and Isabel sitting on Mary's bed comforting her. Of course, she was muggleborn to.

"I feel like it was my fault. Even though I don't know her, or ever knew her…She died."

"She died for what she believed in." Dorcas said stroking Lily's hair soothingly. "She wasn't going to let that madman frighten her."

"She sounded frightened." Lily said, the cries of that woman haunting her mind, and then the sick thumb of her body falling to the floor…dead. "I can't get it out of my head."

"It's not something that'll go quickly." There was a knock on the door. Dorcas walked to the door and opened it.

"Are you girls ok?" Alice asked walking in. She could sense the sadness in the room. She looked over at Mary's bed and then at Lily's. Lily felt Alice sit down on the bed.

"It' going to be ok Lily." She said. "They can't get you here…" Lily teared up again and looked away.

"What if people blame me and Mary for this." Lily said between tears. "What if they try to do the same."

"Lily." Alice turned Lily over she had to look at her. "No one, and I mean, no one will ever try to do that to you here. You have my word on that, me, the teachers, your friends. No one will ever dare try. Lily shook her and hugged Alice fiercely.

"I thought things would be different here." Lily said quietly.

"And they will be." Alice said rubbing her shoulder. "Try and get some sleep." Alice got up and went over to Mary. Dorcas sat down next to Lily.

"Try and get some sleep." Dorcas said to Lily. Lily lay back down but still didn't look reassured.

"Do you want me to stay?" Dorcas asked. Lily nodded. Dorcas smiled and got into Lily's bed. "It'll be fine, don't worry."

* * *

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Alec shouted as he hobbled to the door. He looked through the peephole and saw Parks standing there being battered by the thick rain outside. Alec sighed. He leaned back and opened the door.

"Alec."

"I thought you'd be busy." Alec said. "The Travers kid was executed over the radio. I thought you'd be dealing with that."

"I am." Parks pulled back his coat. In the inside pocket was a folder. "The Minister has asked for you personally to look this over. Can I come in?" Alec looked back to his study.

"Fine. But take your shoes off. Katherine hates the mess." Parks stepped in and took his shoes off. The two men then walked down to the study where Alec showed him inside. Parks attention was instantly on the board.

"Been keeping yourself busy?"

"It's all I have now." Alec said sitting behind his desk. Parks sat opposite, but his attention was at the board.

"So if this is so important, why is it being brought to me?" Alec asked. Parks looked back at Alec and pushed the file over to him. Alec picked the file up and opened it to the picture of a fresh faced blonde girl. She was very pretty with big blue eyes and a gorgeous smile.

"Sally Chapel Nee Travers." Parks said. "Twenty years old, former head girl at Hogwarts and a trainee at the-"

"Magical Affairs office." Alec finished. "I heard the broadcast." Alec turned the page where there was a list of her grades.

"Where did they find her?"

"In a warehouse on the Thames." Parks said. "She was alone, no sign of anyone or anything else. CSU are sweeping the place down now."

"Any priors?"

"Only a warning for flouting the secrecy acts once when she was fourteen, nothing we haven't all done before."

"Any enemies?"

"Her friends said that there were a few girls who were jealous of her but none that would go to such lengths to kill her." Parks explained. "She seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Alec continued to flick threw the folder, nothing really to go on. No motive, no means but an endless supply of opportunity.

"How did the old man take to her being married?"

"He doesn't care about that." Parks said solemnly. "He lost his daughter, his only child Alec. You above everyone else must know how painful that is."

"I do." Alec said nodding his head. "How's the husband taking it?"

"Dan Chapel, he's in bits. They'd just come back from their honeymoon, two weeks in Dublin. Widowed at twenty three."

"How did they meet?" Alec asked peering over the page.

"They met in a pub, fell in love. She told him she was a witch and he still loved her." Parks said. "Poor bloke hasn't said anything since we brought him in, he's devastated." Alec closed the file.

"What do we officially know about these Sons of Salazar?" Alec asked. "What do we know about their leader?"

"Nothing." Parks said. "Apart from what we get on the radio." He looked over at the board. "And what do we know unofficially about him?" Parks asked pointing to the wall. He looked at Alec and got to his feet.

"You want what I know."

"I knew you wouldn't let his lie low after the Boulevard." Parks said. "So…unofficially?" Alec walked to the board.

"His name is Riddle." Alec said. "That's all I know. He was responsible for the bombing at the boulevard in the summer. Parks walked to the board and looked at the photo of Riddle. A tall handsome man with slicked back black hair wearing sunglasses.

"Riddle?" Parks said. "American?"

"He's a Brit." Alec said. "This is all I have on him?" Parks flicked on red piece of string that branched off some newspaper articles about the surge of Vampires.

"Is there a connection there?"

"I don't know." Parks sighed. He looked at another red piece of string that branched off to Hill street orphanage. He looked at the photo curiously.

"What's this place?" Parks asked.

"A lead." Alec said getting up, not really hoping to give anything away. "It's only in the rough stages, I don't have anything concrete on it." Parks looked at Alec up and down with a questioning gaze Alec though was analysing a page.

"Cause of death the omega curse?" Alec asked. Parks nodded. "Tortured first."

"Yes." Said Parks. "But not for information." Alec looked up at him.

"She knew nothing of importance." Parks said sitting back down. "She was just a trainee in the ministry and was just about to finish her training. She had no special information."

"What about old man Travis?" Alec asked. He was studying the photo of Sally's corpse, a close up of her face that was blue. "Did he know anything?"

"He knows all sorts of secrets." Parks said. "But no ransom was issued to the family."

"So they killed her because she married the muggle." Alec said shaking his head. Parks nodded.

"Senseless and motiveless." Parks said.

"Not motiveless." Alec said walking to the board.

"Why not? What could possibly be his reasoning behind this?"

"He's trying to establish his boundaries." Alec said tapping his chin. "He's trying to say to people that this is how far he is willing to go, and how far he will cross the line for his beliefs."

"He's gone too far already." Parks said shaking his head.

"I know." Alec said. "But his first broadcast was all talk, no one took him seriously. This one however says to people that he's a threat." Alec stared at the board.

"It shows everyone that even the Sacred Twenty Eight aren't safe." Alec said. "That he can get to everyone."

"So what will his next move be?"

"That I don't know." Said Alec. "But whatever it's going to be, it's going to be bigger."

"I can't see how it's going to be bigger than this."

* * *

The school was unusually quiet the next day. What had happened had been broadcast all over the radios and had rattled everyone. Even the Slytherin's were a little sombre about the whole thing.

Things slowly went back to normal. It was weird thought Lily. That something so big and drastic could be swept under the rug so easily. But life goes on she thought, and she had to go with it, but it didn't stop her from thinking about that poor girl. She saw the photos of her funeral, everyone who was anyone in the wizarding world was there, a few people from the school were excused to go as well. The Daily Prophet said it was to show strength in solidarity.

" _Dracula might be running amok and these Sons of Salazar are blowing the sacred twenty eight away like there mere mortals. Is there anything safe in this world anymore?_ "

"Lily, turn the radio off please." Julia said shaking her head. "It's depressing." Lily turned it off and looked over at the boys. Remus had gone home because his mum was ill and Potter Black and Pettigrew where in the corner by the window. Not really talking, the whole school was in the same mood.

James looked out of the window and down at the whomping willow in the autumn breeze. James was resting his face in his hand listening to the argument that Sirius and Peter where having over there chess game. James's eyes flickered down at the tree again, except it wasn't just the tree. He saw two people moving towards the tree itself. James sat up in his chair more and looked down at the two figures.

James looked around, he saw a couple of first years with a telescope finishing their homework. James got up and took the telescope of them.

"Hey!"

"You'll get it back!" James shouted as he walked back to the window.

"What are you doing James?" Sirius didn't even look up from the board game.

"There's someone by the willow, it looked like Remus." James said adjusting the telescope. Sirius groaned loudly and turned to face him.

"You're being stupid."

"Am not." James said adjusting the telescope so it cleared up. James focused on The tree itself was still but with Madam Pomfrey kneeling by the trunk of it. Why wasn't it attacking her?

"What are you doing?" James muttered.

"Ahem." Something blocked James's view. James looked up from the eye piece and saw Alice looking down at him with a raised eyebrow.

"And what do you think you're doing?" She asked.

"Uhmmmm…bird watching?"

"Give it back." Alice said tiredly pointing to the disgruntled first years.

"In a sec, I just need to see-" Alice hit the end of the telescope so it swung back and hit James in the face.

"Ouch!" James rubbed his temple while Alice picked up the telescope and took it back over to the first years. James rubbed his head and went to look outside again. Nothing. They were gone.

"Checkmate." James turned round. Sirius had beaten Peter.

"Wait, no…" Peter frowned.

"Pete, its checkmate." James looked over at the tree. "There's no were else you can go." James smiled slightly.


	17. Chapter 17

It had been eating away at him all evening, he was sure that it was Remus that he saw going down towards the willow. He was certain that Madam Pomfrey was down there, but why was she escorting him down there? James looked over at the window, time for another adventure.

James got up quickly and started to change. Sirius looked over at James with a raised eyebrow.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"To where ever Remus and Madam Pomfrey were going earlier." James said. "I'm sick of not knowing, I need to know."

"James he goes home." Sirius said turning the page of his book. "We've been over this a dozen times. You didn't see him."

"I did." James said darkly. "I need closure. They wouldn't take him outside to floo, they'd send him to McGonagall's office to do that."

"You won't find anything. You don't even know where to go."

"I have a good idea." James said pulling his coat on and picking his wand. "Want to come?"

"Na, but we do need some more supplies, can I take the cloak and go to Honeydukes?"

"Sure." James threw Sirius the cloak. "Pete, coming?"

"I still need finish Professor Helsing's essay on Dracula." He said.

"Here." Sirius threw Peter Dracula: Friend or Foe. "There's a good part on why he loves sheep farming." James laughed and shook his head as he closed the door behind him.

They pulled the cloak over themselves and snuck out while Alice went to do her rounds.

"So, more butterbeer."

"Bertie bots."

"Yeah, some of those wand things."

"Those snappy things Remus hates."

"And try and get those slug things." As well James finished as they got to the third floor.

"Will do." Sirius looked down the corridor and then back at James who was looking down the stairs.

"Come on mate, don't be stupid." James looked back at Sirius. "Why don't we just go to Honeydukes for some grub and then come back. Remus will be back in a day or to."

James continued to stare down the staircase.

"No, I need closure on this." James said. "I know everyone says that he goes home every month but they dates just add up."

"It's a coincidence mate."

"The universe isn't that lazy." James said.

"Well at least take the cloak." Sirius said handing it to James.

"Nah, you need it to carry to loot." James said. "I'll meet you later."

"Be careful."

"I'm always careful Sirius." James said as he walked away. Sirius went to go down the corridor and stopped. He turned back and contemplated going after James. After a few seconds of deliberation he turned to the corridor and walked away.

James closed the oak doors to the outside and looked around. James walked towards the whomping willow, that's where he saw Remus going. The branches swayed in the breeze in the purple sky. Why would Remus be coming down here with Madame Pomfrey?

James walked round the tree just far away enough so it wouldn't attack him. There didn't seem anything out of place with it. Maybe he needed a closer look. James ran towards the tree, making it spark into life. It brought a thick branch which James jumped over.

Another came over which made James duck and then somersaulted out of the way of a very thick branch. But through all the jumping and dodging he couldn't see why Remus would have come down here. There was nothing he could concentrate on. When he was trying to he was hit in the stomach.

"Fuck!" James fell forward and another branch hit him in the back forcing him into the floor. James looked up at the tree. He had fallen in front of a hole by the roots. He could just about make out the dark opening in the dim light. It was about a foot and a half wide and something you wouldn't notice unless you were really close.

"What the…" James felt a branch wrap round his foot. He looked down at it and then at the hole in front of him.

"No, no, no!" The branch pulled him back, James tried to grab onto the grass but it was too wet to get a good hold on it. The branch threw James up in air, making him fall into a crumbled heap on the ground.

"Damn." James got onto his knees and looked at the tree, his eyes followed it from the top down to the hole he had been in front of.

That would be a prime place to hide a werewolf thought James. Right underneath a fighting tree that no student could get under. James smirked. No student expect him.

James got to his feet and ran towards the tree again which braced itself for another assault. It swung a branch at James who jumped over it. Another one tried to spear him where he stood but he was able to jump up onto it and run along it.

Another branch came swooping Down, James jumped off the branch he was running on, the other one smashing it apart. It came back for him ,James caught a chunk of wood and blocked it away. James saw the hole. He dodged another branch and slid across the grass, underneath a low branch and through the hole. James slid down a tunnel and then fell out into a chamber.

James hit the floor with a thump.

"Awwwwwh." James stayed still for a moment before getting to his feet. He couldn't see a thing. The chamber was nearly pitch black save the little light that was coming from the rising moon. James felt around and pulled his wand out.

"Lumos!" The tip of his wand lit up the small chamber. The top of the chamber was the roots of the whomping willow while below him was a soft soil. James looked around and saw what looked like a doorway. There was no door to speak off, there had been but it had been ripped up from the hinges and in a broken mess on the floor.

James walked to the doorway, he stop and looked up stairs. Even the light from his wand betrayed nothing of what was really up there. What was going on up there? Why was this even here?

James gingerly placed a foot on the stair which creaked loudly. James took his foot off and looked up the stairs.

Nothing.

James walked onto the stairs and then walked up. The stairs were made of wood with wood side panelling. James put his wand up to the wall, and saw they had long claw marks across them. James stepped back in shock and hit the other wall.

James turned around quickly and held his wand up against the wall. More claw marks. They were deeply embedded into the wood with blood stained into the deep crevasses.

"What on earth?" James turned to back to the other wall and saw the same claw marks. James ran his hand over them, when the light of his wand reflected off something. James moved his wand again and saw the same reflection. He gingerly picked up what looked like a hair. Actually, it looked more like…fur.

There was a whine from further ahead. James pointed his wand forward and the whining continued. Part of James wanted to run, but he was so close to finding out what this place was. James looked back at the stairs back to the chamber and then ahead where another whine echoed out.

James walked forward but was breathing heavily as he walked along the staircase, there were more claw marks that where bloodier and bloodier as he walked forward. He then game to a door that was splintered down the middle with a huge claw mark across it. James opened the door forward, it creaked loudly and hit the wall behind him.

James walked forward, his every footstep creaking on the old wooden floorboards into a house. He had walked into some sort of entrance hall. The house itself was wooden with portraits of occupants of a life gone by. The only light coming through was the full moon from the outside.

It came through the windows and magnified the dust on all the old ornaments. James walked forward into what looked like a kitchen with broken furniture scattered around the room. James walked up to a basin under a coal pit by the window. James placed the back of his hand to the coals.

It was cold. It hadn't been lit in a while. There was another whine that made James stand up and turn sharply with his wand in hand. Another whine and the sound of cracking echoed through the old house. There was then a huge rip and a heavy thump on the floor. The house was silent for a second, James moved back toward the back wall. He then heard the sound of panting, but not human panting… dog panting.

"AAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The howl echoed throughout the whole valley. James breathed deeply, that was all the proof he needed. There was then a growl and the smashing of something. James quickly turned and ran back towards the door leading back to the whomping willow.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!" James stopped dead. He stayed still and was breathing shallowly. He looked over slowly to his right and saw a werewolf on the top of the stairs.

Fear spread across James's face contagiously. The werewolf was over six foot tall and was half hidden in the shadows. It walked slowly towards James, it walked into the moonlight on the stairs and its angry face flashed. Angry violent green eyes and a blood stained snout with bared teeth. James took a small step back. The werewolf held its paw out and its claws shot out. He placed them on the wall.

The screeching sound echoed around the small entrance hall, its claws leaving huge crevasses in the wall.

"Re-Remus?" The wolf snared and roared. James darted to the door, the wolf did to try and keep him out. James though slid underneath its outstretched arm and kicked the broken door in half. James went from slide to sprint effortlessly and sprinted down the corridor back to the chamber. He heard the door smash behind him and the bounding of the werewolf.

"Expelliarmus!" Threw the spell up at the roof trying to cave it but it didn't do a thing. James looked over his shoulder and saw the wold behind him.

"Expelliarmus!" The second spell hit the wolf but again did nothing. It swiped out and caught James, sending him tumbling to the floor. James rolled forward and landed on the floor. He turned with the wolf bearing down on him.

"PROTEGO!" The red shield erupted from his wand, it expanded to the height of the corridor and smacked into the werewolf. It sent him flying into the air, through the ceiling and smashing further down the corridor. James scampered to his feet and ran to the hole. He pulled himself up through the hole. He fell to his knees out of breath. His breathing was hard and ragged and his face bright with fear. Remus was a werewolf. He was right.

"I was right!" James then felt the whomping willow swat him away.

* * *

The sun rose over the mountains, spreading it's rays over Hogwarts down past the willow and over the forest towards Hogsmede. The sun creeped up on the old shack, it's broken windows and splintered wood threw it back to a life once past. The orange rays flashed into the upstairs bedroom. The room was filled with broken furniture and broken floorboards with torn curtain fluttering in the wind.

Remus was asleep, naked on the floor. His breathes where even and slow but his back was littered with ugly bruises, and his arms with bite marks scattered on them.

The sun creeped into the room, slowly pouncing on Remus's sleeping body. Remus opened his eyes slowly. He looked around before closing them and breathing out. His eyes opened on the window he was facing with the light coming in from the window. He lifted his hands up the rays, almost testing to see if it was real or not…maybe it was just another dream.

The bird song told him it wasn't just another dream. Remus pushed himself up and stretched, and then went about looking at his new scars and bruises. He then looked around the bedroom, he never thought he'd say this, but this orange sunrise, it looked homey, almost welcoming. Remus shook his head at the absurd motion and walked carefully along the floor while rubbing his head. He had the strangest dream. James was here. And he attacked him…

Remus shook his head. James didn't know a thing, no one did. He walked down the stairs and saw the fruit of his destruction. He couldn't bear to look. He walked to the kitchen, under the sink was his package of food and some clean clothes. He didn't feel like eating just yet but he changed into clean clothes.

He wanted to get out of here now. He walked to the door leading to the tunnel leading back to whomping willow. Remus didn't look back and walked down the tunnel. But when he looked down he saw that it was in a mess. He noticed the paw prints from the wolf down the tunnel.

Remus walked forward, why would the wolf come down here? The further he walked down the further the prints went down. When he got close to the end he saw a chunk of the ceiling had come away and was spread across the floor. Remus looked up, it was like something had been forced back through the roof.

He noticed that the footprints had stopped. He shook his head. Who knows what happens here when the wolf takes over. He walked into the chamber where the sun was coming in from the hole beneath the willow. Remus walked towards the hole and stepped up the rim of the hole. He pressed the knob behind him so the tree didn't squash him and climbed out.

The sun washed on him. It was one of the few luxuries of this curse. Walking out of that hole knowing it was all over for another month at least. He smiled and walked across the wet grass towards the castle and the hospital wing where he could sleep some more.

"You're back early." Remus turned sharply to his right and back peddled. James was standing there, his coat billowing in the light breeze along with the front of his hair.

"Or maybe you never left." Remus's mind went blank. He didn't know what to say.

"James…"

"I know, Remus." He said stepping forward. It…it wasn't a dream, he did attack James.

"How?"

"I followed you." James said. "I saw Madam Pomfrey leading you here." He stretched out his arms to show the scene around them. "I went to that shack and, well." Remus nodded.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"How do you tell someone you're a werewolf?" Remus asked.

"I thought you'd trust us enough to tell us." Remus chuckled to himself and shook his head.

"If you knew the sort of things werewolves have been subjected to you'd know why I didn't tell anyone." Remus said. "Not even you guys."

"Don't you trust us?" James said narrowing his eyes. Remus closed his eyes and breathed out heavily.

"No." Remus said heavily. "I trust you. All of you, Sirius, Peter, you."

"They why."

"I promised Dumbledore, James. I promised Dumbledore. He's done so much for me. He's given me a life." Remus let out a pained noise and ran a hand through his hair.

"You have no idea what my life was like before I came here!" Remus said now pacing up and down. "I was, alone! No friends and constantly living in fear of the wolf inside me." He looked up at James. "But now I'm here, I have a life, friends…"

"I don't want to throw that away."

"No one is asking you to." James said relaxing his arms to his side. He walked towards Remus and Placed and hand on his shoulder.

"You…you're not scared?" Remus asked in shock. "But I'm-"

"A werewolf. So what." James said dismissively. "Mate, it doesn't change a thing." James looked at Remus up and down.

"So, where were you heading?"

"The hospital wing." Remus said yawning against his will. "I need some more rest."

"Come on, I'll walk with you." James and Remus walked off towards the castle.

"Are you going to tell anyone?"

"No, I'm not. It's not my story to tell." James said. "But you should." Remus looked over at James. "It doesn't pay to keep people in the dark."

"It's not that easy."

"It probably isn't." James conceded. "But know you'll always have one friend who accepts you for who you are. Not many people have one." Remus nodded.

"I know."

* * *

" _In the wake of the Sally…Chapel case, more and more people are asking for something to be done against these Sons of Salazar._ "

" _What about the rampaging vampires in Transylvania as well? You'd of thought that with Murdoch caught all these physco's would ebb away. It just seems to encourage them to step out of the shadows._ "

Lily flipped the radio off. She was sick to death of the Sons of Salazar, and to honest it was hard to concentrate on her essay with it on.

"Hey." Lily looked up at Dorcas who was writing her essay as well. "You ok?"

"I'm fine." Lily said looking over at the radio. "I just don't like what's on the radio."

"Not the best is it." Dorcas said scratching her chin with her quill. "There thinking it's going to call of the Bones party.

"Is it that big?"

"It's probably the biggest social gathering on the wizarding calendar." Said Dorcas. "Anyone who's anyone goes there."

"What happens there then?"

"To be honest, not much." Dorcas said shaking her head. "I have to go by association."

"Sacred twenty eight."

"Oh yeah."

"I think it would be fascinating." Lily said while writing out a paragraph. "I've never been to a wizarding function."

"Would you like to go to one? You can always go as my plus one."

"Really?"

"Sure, why not, it would be nice to have you around."

"Really?"

"It'll be great. There will be people there that you already know."

"But what about the Sons of Salazar?"

"They think they might attack it be I doubt it. The enforcers will we there along with a couple of Auror's it'll be fine."

"Ok, I'll ask my parents over the holidays." Lily said. "I think I'll leave out the part about wizarding terrorists. There still a little sore over the whole Murdoch thing." Lily looked over at a group of first years getting tutoring from an older student.

"I wish I could afford to get some tutoring." Lily said turning back. "I can't believe to prices they charge some students."

"I know, it's criminal." Dorcas replied. "It seems only the wealthy can actually afford it. When were older we'll do it for free." Lily nodded.

"Why do they do it for so much?" Lily asked out loud.

"I suppose some of them need the money." Dorcas said not looking up. "But what do you reckon they know about Dracula anyway?"

Lily looked down on her essay about Vlad the Impaler's years conquering Europe. She rubbed her eyes and slumped on the table while Dorcas continued to write.

"Are you finished?"

"No." Lily said into her elbow. "I'm just tired. I was up all night thanks to those wailing spirits."

"I know." Dorcas agreed. "They say there are poltergeists there but even they can't make that much racket."

Lily nodded in agreement. "Sometimes it sounds like…growling."

* * *

"Remind me again, how far did you get when you tailed Evans when you thought she was up to something?" James grunted and moved the food on his plate around with his fork. Remus who was opposite him and Sirius looked fretful. James couldn't blame him. But he would never reveal that secret.

"Nowhere, thanks for pointing that out." She was home sick, he wouldn't share that information either.

"Sirius, leave it." Remus said shaking his head.

"No, you ort to know." Sirius banged his fist down. "Nancy Drew over there." He pointed at James "Thought that you turned into a werewolf every month. What an idiot." Remus chuckled.

"I know, it looks bad." Remus conceded. "But no, I'm not a werewolf." James noticed Remus pull his sleeves down. More so as a defence mechanism, so other people couldn't see his scars. James really felt sorry for him, he could deal with Sirius's jibes.

"Well I'm sorry." James said sincerely. "Won't happen again, give my regards to your mum when you see her next." Remus laughed nervously.

"Thanks, I will." The sound of steel on glass echoed round the hall causing everyone to look up at Dumbledore.

"In light of the darkness that has surrounded our school in recent weeks, I want to remind all out students to know and to understand that fear and intimidation of any kind to any type of student will not be tolerated." He scanned the room of expectant faces.

"It has also come to my attention that a lot of you have been worried about the ghouls in the house outside Hogsmede."

"Yeah, it's keep everyone up at night!" someone shouted.

"Yeah sort it out!"

The room went into synchronised murmurs of agreement. Dumbledore raised his hand for quiet.

"I want to assure everyone that…" He looked around the room, a small smile appeared in the corner of his mouth.

"I want to assure everyone that there is nothing that we can do." The room went into uproar.

"Rubbish!"

"What absolute bull!"

"Just hex them out!"

"SILENCE!" The hall fell into silence after the roar.

"These are not your garden variety spirits." Dumbledore said sternly. "They are very disturbed and dangerous, they can cause an un-told amount of pain to people who go seeking them out. Which is why I must warn you all not to go to this…Shrieking shack."

James looked over at Isabel who rolled her eyes.

"It will not bold well for anyone who decides to go." He looked round sternly at everyone in the room. "You are all excused, goodnight."

"Well I think that's rubbish." Isabel said in a lofty voice as they left the hall. "Not being able to exorcise a couple of demons from a rickety old house."

"Well if it's so easy why don't you go and do it."

"Pfft, no James, that's someone else's Job." Isabel said shaking her head. James and Sirius exchanged raised eyebrows. Her attention though was on a group of older boys filing out as well who were looking over at them.

"Still trying to get Troy's attention?" Asked Dorcas. Isabel shot her a dark look.

"No!" She said shortly.

* * *

 _"With more and more people dying, humanitarian groups are placing more and more pressure on the government to get make sure that aid is getting through to pthe people who need it the most."_

 _"I mean, this has been going on for...months. This crisis of sorts, we all know that TB is a terrible disease, so, why is the Romanian government resisting so much. Clare Whiting."_

 _"We know their regime is one of the most brutal in the world, starving their own people and beating them for obedience but even this is a step to far."_

 _"What do you suggest?"_

 _"I think that politicians see this as a chance to score political points by saying the 'right' thing but really it's all the same tosh. There doesn't really doesn't seem to be anybody who wants to do anything."_

 _"You didn't answer the question Clare."_

 _"The government need to ensure that aid is getting to the people in the mountains where it is needed. There are people so delirious up there they are saying their seeing vampires_."

Lily looked at the radio and then rolled her eyes and continued to brush her hair. That woman wasn't wrong with what she was saying, she just didn't have to say it so flippantly. Lily looked over at the radio and changed the station. A melodic tune came out over the radio, Lily knew this one

"Wake up Maggie I think I got something to say to you." Lily sang under her breath and brushed harder to get a knot out.

"It's late September and I really should be back at school." Horatio jumped up onto her dressing table and cocked his head at her. Lily smiled and with her free hand.

"I know I keep you amused but I feel I'm being used, Oh Maggie I couldn't have tried any more."

"You what Horatio, I think today's going to be a good day." Lily placed her hairbrush down and turned the radio off and walked to Dorcas who was waiting for her. "He good Horatio." Lily called back as she closed the door. Horatio looked around and just flopped onto the floor.

* * *

"Hey Guy." Lily sat down and fanned her hair behind her shoulders. "Having a good day so far?"

"Good so far." He said. "Considering it hasn't even started yet."

"Never to early to have a good start."

"Ok class." Professor Helsing walked past them all to the front. "We are going to carry on with our reading on Dracula's ascension and his wars with Moldova. Please turn to page 245."

"Uhm…Lily." Lily turned to guy who was looking nervously at her.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"I…uhm…forgot my book." He said cleared his throat.

"Would you like to share?" He nodded. Lily smiled and placed the book between them. "It's ok to ask me stuff like that."

The death of Dracula in his human form is one of the best known tales in the Magical world while in the Muggle world it is undecided between five versions.

 _After his release from the Hungarians Vlad decided to go on the attack and show a sign of dominance to strike fear into his enemies, with the help of Prince Stephen III of Moldavia, Vlad's cousin he was going to take back Wallachia, after the death of his brother Radu the ottomans who also had their eye on the region and appointed their own man to win the region back. Prince Basarab the Elder, a member of the Dăneşti clan._

 _When Vlad's army arrived, Prince Basarab's army fled, some to the Turks, others in the mountains. After placing Vlad on the throne, Stephen Báthory and his forces returned to Transylvania, leaving Vlad in a very weak position._

 _Vlad had little time to get support before a large Turkish army entered Wallachia to put Prince Basarab back on the throne. Vlad had to meet the Turks with the small forces at his disposal, which were made up of fewer than four thousand men. Vlad declared his third reign on 26 November 1476, where it had lasted little more than two months and thereafter he was killed._

 _The Ottomans killed him by means of satanic sacrifice. A way that with the proper ingredients and spells would send the sacrifice straight to hell for punishment rather than being judged by Saint Peter or waiting in purgatory_.

Lily winced. "I wonder what that involved?"

"It involves the person being stretched across a satanic cross over a devils' star made of ground goat bones until they were broken into four pieces." Lily turned to Guy, impressed with his knowledge on the matter.

"How did you know that?" Lily asked.

"I've…read ahead." Guy said blushing.

"So…why into four?" Lily asked looking back at the book. "It seems like a very specific number."

"Oh, uhm, it was believed that if he was pulled into four then he would be tortured four times as much." Guy explained. "Old mumbo but it looks like it works."

"That sounds nasty." Lily said, completely enthralled in this new information, of all the school books she read to the end and she didn't with this.

"Are you and Mr Arnold having a nice conversation there Miss Evans?" The class turned to Lily and Guy. Lily hated the way he always seemed to put the spotlight on her, and it always made Guy flustered and nervous. Lily liked making new friends now and she wasn't going to let him ruin it this time.

"Yes, actually." She said. "We were discussing about how Dracula died."

"Oh, a reverting one I'm sure." Helsing said walking towards them. "And which one do you believe Miss Evans?" Lily narrowed her eyes.

"I don't believe that someone who was quartered and burnt into his own blood could come back from the dead." Helsing laughed.

"He is a powerful creature."

"So…If Dracula was all powerful and what not…how was he stopped last time?" The whole class look forward at Professor Helsing who narrowed his eyes curiously at Lily. The rest of the class looked forward at him.

"He's supposed to be immortal, he can fly, and can apparently travel in a mere moment. How was he defeated the last time?"

"It's ah…" He smiled to himself and cocked his head slightly. "It's not something you really want to know."

"Why not?" Lily asked. "Where learning about his life, I think the least we should know is how he was defeated?" Helsing nodded. He walked back towards his desk and sat down on it.

"Ok." He said slapping his hands together.

"It was a long time ago, on the cusp of the century." Helsing explained. "During the 1800's Dracula was at the height of his power, he was cutting down all that was before him, the Russians, Germany and France. Pretty much every main land Europe country tried and failed to stop him. The Russians took the biggest hit and almost doubled his army.

The British Government enlisted the help of the greatest magical, scientific and paranormal minds of the age.

Jonathan Harker, a world renowned chemist, Abraham Van Helsing, Professor of Paranormal studies at Rotterdam University and Edward Stone of the Auror Corp. The aim was simple, kill Dracula or die trying.

The British found out that Dracula was planning on invading them, to spread the curse of the undead. But they were unsure how he was going to do so. Dracula was buying up different plots of land in England under different guises. They intercepted a solicitor on his way to Transylvania finalise a deal with Harker taking his place.

When he got there he discovered that Dracula was planning on invading us with help from the son of Victor Frankenstein. He was building something, what though they didn't know."

The class was silent for a moment.

"What was he buying the houses for?" Lily asked.

"The houses were fronts for Vampires to be able to get to Britain undetected. The idea being that an army can't fight on two fronts, from the front and from within. The boxes contain a part of Dracula, since as you pointed out Miss Evans, he can travel across the world in the blink of an eye, and other Vampires would be able to use these portals when the time was right.

"Now, Harker, Van Helsing and Stone were not alone in this crusade. When they were scouting a potential portal in Whitby when they saw Dracula courting a young girl her name was Lucy Westenra.

They were too late, she was bitten by Dracula. Her fiancé John Seward and a friend of the family Lord Holmwood pledged any resources to help track down these Portals. They were able to destroy most of the boxes, encountering Dracula many times and holding him and his vampires back.

With Dracula now on the back foot he took his last box back to his castle in Transylvania, Stone said he would go up there one last time and finish Dracula once and for all, he said he had found a way to kill him. But also said he had found something else more disturbing."

"What was it?" Helsing shook his head.

"No one ever found out. All we knew that it was going to be a game changer." Helsing chuckled.

"Ironic twist of fate really." Helsing mused. "The local villagers ransacked the castle he and Frankenstein where cooped up in because of Frankenstein's grave robbing and destroyed whatever this major problem was. It made Stone able to go after Dracula and his brides."

"Did he?" Helsing looked at Lily. "Did he stop them?"

"We had assumed so." Helsing said gravely. "Although recent stories in the media seem to suggest that he might of only put him in some sort of coma. And somebody resurrected him once again."

"Can't somebody find Stone again?"

"No one has ever seen or heard from him again." Helsing explained. "Some say he died trying." He shook his. "No, I think Stone is still out there somewhere, too tired to carry on."

"He'd be two hundred years old though?"

"People have lived for longer, look at Nicholas Flamel." Helsing crossed his arms and breathed out. "We've gone a bit off topic here class, carry on with your reading."

"How did he become a Vampire sir?" Helsing shrugged.

"No one really knows." Helsing replied. "Some say he's the product of the devil, some say it's a potion or something else. We may never know."

Lily looked at Guy who had to her as well and they both shrugged.

* * *

Lily was in front of the fire looking at brochures for Christmas presents to get her parents. She hadn't bothered last year, or had forgotten, but she wanted to make an effort. Dorcas had given her some for the shops in Diagon alley and she had been pouring over them. She had found something for her mum, that was easy. Her dad however, that was more difficult, well…something in her price range was difficult.

It was past midnight and she couldn't sleep knowing this was on her mind. Her dad always did a lot for her and she wanted to repay him.

"Why are men so hard to buy presents for?" Lily asked out loud. She ran her hands through her hair.

"Not that like your company Horatio but I need some sleep to." Lily heard the meowing of her cat, and a bleary eyed Potter came through holding her cat. Horatio meowed and placed her paws on his t-shirt. Lily turned round. He was also wearing his boxer shorts and took the cat to the foot of the staircase.

"You can bring him here." Potter turned blinking towards her.

"I didn't see you there."

"Meow."

"One at a time." He said. "I didn't expect to see you at this time."

"Christmas shopping." Lily said looking at her pile of catalogue's and then back at Potter. "Why have you got trouble?"

"He was pawing at the door so I let him in. He then decided to make a racket so I thought I'd take him home." Lily smiled.

"You can leave him here, I'll take him up when I'm finished." Potter brought Horatio over and sat down on the sofa and looked down at the open catalogues.

"Having trouble?"

"Yeah." Lily sat back down. "I was trying to find something for my dad for Christmas."

"What were you thinking of?" Lily shrugged.

"I have no idea." She looked over at Potter. "What would you get your dad for Christmas?" placed Horatio on the table.

"I usually get my mum to sort him out." Potter said truthfully. "But what does your dad like?"

"He likes sports I guess." Lily mused. Horatio came over to her and rubbed himself across her hands.

"Get him a book in Quidditch then." Potter said yawning. "Something you and he can talk about. You know, if you ever get round to going to another one." Lily scowled at him, but he was too tired to care.

"What would you recommend?" Horatio jumped into Lily's arms.

"Quidditch through the ages is a good read." Potter picked up the flourish and blotts catalogue and turned it to a page and handed it to Lily.

"There." Lily leaned over and looked at the page. "Maybe a Muggles guide to Quidditch as well." Potter yawned.

"Well, nice chat but I'm going to bed." Potter got up. "See in the morning. Horatio, stay out of trouble."

"Meow."

"Thata cat." He rubbed his hair and walked away. Lily leaned back on sofa.

"Potter…"She heard him stop.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. You've been a big help."

 **The Marauders Proudly Present James Potter and Lily Evans in: The Marauders Year Two**

 **Chapter Seventeen**

 **By The Night**

 **Written By Chambers10**


	18. Chapter 18

James and Alec landed outside Potter farm. The snow was coming down thickly, covering the farmhouse and the garages. But the farmhouse lights where on and James could see his mum in the window.

"Come on." Alec made his way to the door with James behind him and together they fought their way into the door and inside. The house was warm and inviting with Christmas decorations up.

"Hey, sounds like troubles home!" shouted Katherine from the kitchen. James kicked his shoes off and shedding his coat and scarf as he walked in.

"Hey, no house elves here pal." Said Alec, stopping James from progressing any further into the kitchen. James grumbled and picked them up while hanging them up. "That's better." Said Alec as he took off his coat and walked with James into the living room where he was looking at his presents under the tree.

"Looks like your fortunate again this year mate." Said Alec.

"Beats spending it away at Hogwarts." Said James. Alec smiled and placed an arm round him.

"You know, it makes me happy to hear you say that. I remember when I was your age and I hated the thought of coming home for Christmas, or any other time for that matter."

"Yeah, but you had Uncle Tim and Archie to come home to as well." Said James. "And you're always going on about how much you hated your mum." Alec nodded.

"Trust me, you're lucky you never met her." said Katherine as she walked in. "She was a horrible woman. Not to speak ill of the dead."

"None taken, she was a bitch anyway." Said Alec as he sat down and put his knee up. Katherine came round and kissed him on the top of his head. James sat down on the sofa with a book and looked into the fire. Katherine looked up and saw her son cut a very lonely figure reading his book. Something was on his mind.

"James?"

"Yeah?"

"Is Leanne coming over for Christmas?" she asked. Alec looked up, his face asking what the hell are you asking that for. But Katherine hit his arm.

"No, she's staying in California for the winter." Said James turning a page in his book. Alec and Katherine looked at each other. "I'm gonna unpack upstairs." Said James closing his book and leaving the living room.

"Why did you ask about Leanne?" asked Alec.

"Because she's special to him." Said Katherine. "You should be more accepting of it rather than looking down on her."

"Well you heard him, she's not coming over, end of."

"I just thought with the Bones Christmas Party she just might." Said Katherine. Alec groaned.

"Shit, I forgot about that." He said. "The joys of months off. No tracking of time." Katherine smiled and nuzzled his neck.

"Now, I know you've enjoyed it."

"Maybe, maybe too much." Said Alec.

James walked up to his room while his parents bickered down stairs. He hadn't thought about Leanne, not even once. And he didn't know if she was coming or not. A surprise if she was, not a big loss if she wasn't.

James walked into his room where Dante was sitting on his desk.

"Any mail for me." The owl blinked and looked away from him. James laughed and rubbed the top of Dante's head.

"Just want some love you big poser." He said. "That's alright, I can give you that."

The owl turned round back to James as he continued to stroke him with his fingers. James looked at the board in front of him with pictures he was staring to put up from Hogwarts, there were a couple of his himself and his friends while most of them were of Quidditch. His mum had placed some of himself on the board. But James pushed them all aside and picked up one taken last year of everyone in his year.

James smiled at himself and Sirius who were pulling faces while Dorcas was trying to reprimand them. But his eyes always went to a shade of red hair that stood out to him.

What was she doing right now?

* * *

Lily was fast asleep in the car. She was curled up on the back seat of her dad's car with his coat around her, her head resting on the window and legs pulled up on the seat. Lavender smiled at how peaceful she looked. Not really wanting to wake her, but even through the snow she could see the local landmarks of their area. The house came into view and John drove into the drive.

He stopped the car and looked at Lavender and pointed at Lily.

"You have to get her up now."

"But she's so peaceful." Lavender said pouting.

"If we leave her in here she'll freeze." John said pointing at Lily. Lavender huffed and turned her head back.

"Lily, Lily love." She reached over and stroked her hair. "Lily, where home." Lily groaned and stretched her legs and then rubbed her very tired looking eyes.

"Where home?" she said groggily.

"Yes love. Come on." Lily opened the door of the car and shivered. She leaned back and picked up Horatio's cat carrier.

"Come on Lily, dads getting your bags." Lily jogged inside with her mum into the warm inviting house. She sighed and smiled at all the new little things doted around the place. It was almost like she had never left.

"Good thing we went to the supermarket before you came back." Said John as he closed the door. "That snow really is coming down thick." Lily wasn't in the hallway, her footsteps could now be heard making their way excitedly to her room. John shook his head and looked at Lavender.

"She definitely takes after you." said John. "I'd of headed straight for the kitchen." Lavender was already walking into the kitchen while shaking her head, going to put the kettle on.

"She's your daughter when she gets herself into stupid situations." Said Lavender getting the mugs out. "When she has a calm head on her shoulders, then she's mine."

"She's gotten taller hasn't she." Said John. Lavender stopped momentarily before going back to putting teabags in the mugs.

"Yeah, she has." Said Lavender. She sighed and turned round held onto the counter.

"She's different every time she comes home." Said Lavender.

"You're scared."

"No." Lavender said slumping her shoulders. "No, it's not that at all." John looked confused now and got to his feet. He walked over to her and turned her round.

"Then what is it?" he asked. He peered down into the blue eyes that had enticed him so many times, but their usual spark and mischief was replaced by something else, a fear he didn't recognise.

"I'm scared she won't need me anymore." Lavender said turning away and hugging herself.

"That's ridiculous." John said coming over.

"No, it isn't." Lavender said looking over her shoulder back at him.

"All those stories she's told us…those are things we should-I should help her with." Lavender said. "Helping her get ready for nights out, helping her with her homework or any trouble she has with her friends."

"Lav, with her going away she always had to become independent." John said.

"But so soon?" Lavender asked. "Maybe they'll come a day Lily won't need her mum."

There it was. John knew from a very early age that Lavender always prided herself on being a good mother.

"Lav, Lily and Petunia will always need you?" He said wrapping his arms round her.

"Petunia more so though…" Lavender said shrugging him off. "Lily has become far more independent in the last year."

"Petunia was always come to you because you're close by. Lily's on her own."

"And that still scares me."

"I know, but because she's on her own she's adapted." John said. "That because she's more sociable, which she became when she went to school."

"But all the things I've shared with Petunia, what if I can't with Lily, what if she discovers things on her own?"

"Like what?" John chuckled.

"Dear, there a lot of things a woman goes through that they need guidance on. I've already had that chat with Petunia."

"What about exactly?"

"Periods, John!"

"Oh! Right, right." He said uncomfortably.

"Sex to."

"What!? Is Petunia-"

"No." Lavender said chuckling. "I just thought it would be funny to wind you up."

"Ha, ha." John deadpanned as Lavender continued to laugh. "Glad to see you still keep your sense of humour in your time of crisis."

"The opportunities come so rarely I have to be on my toes." Said Lavender. Her smile then faded.

"But…what if Lily discovers sex before we can tell her about it?"

"She's a little young to be thinking about that." John said uncomfortably. "As is Petunia for that matter." Lavender looked at the kitchen table, so many memories from when there were younger…mainly Lily flicking peas at Petunia.

"Yeah…But they are growing up so fast."

"You know what, I am hungry." They both turned and saw Lily in the door way in her pyjamas ruffling her hair.

"I thought you might be." Lavender said as Lily walked to the fridge.

"Meow…" Lavender looked down and saw Horatio walking towards his master. The cat went up and rubbed herself against Lily's legs.

"Are you hungry to Horatio?" Lily asked picking up her cat up.

"How is the new cat?" John asked.

"He's fine." Lily stroking him. "But he seems to like distracting me when I'm reading or working."

"He likes the attention." Said Lavender. Lily pulled some cake out of the fridge and walked balancing her cat and cake. She placed the cake on the table and Horatio on the floor.

"What where you two talking about?" Lily asked she picked the cake up with her hand.

"Lily, use a fork." Lavender said shaking her head. Lily tutted and turned to the sink. She moved her hand and a knife came shooting over.

"DUCK!" John and Lavender ducked as the knife came hurtling across the room and smacked the wall. Both lavender and John looked at Lily who grinned sheepishly.

"Heheh, oops."

"Just get up and get one." Lavender said exasperated. Lily got up but nearly tripped on Horatio.

"Come here trouble." John picked up the cat and stroked him while Lily sat down and tucked into the cake.

"So, do you have any plans while you're home?" Lavender asked. "Meeting up with your friends?"

"Uhm! I was actually." Lily said taking a large mouthful. "I'm going to a party with Dorcas and then staying over, if that's ok?"

"Looks like you already made the plans yourself." Lavender said smiling. "What's it for."

"Some function thing." Lily said taking another mouthful. "I think It'll be quite fun."

"Black tie affair I'm guessing." John said scratching Horatio behind his ears.

"I think so." Lily mused. "Dorcas said it was the biggest wizarding event of the year."

"You can dust down one of your old dresses." Lavender said taking the crockery over to the sink to wash up.

* * *

James walked out to the garages, he pulled his collar up as the wind whipped around him and walked to his dad's store. Time to see what his dad had been working on while he was at home. James looked around and picked the lock. He frowned as it was more difficult than the last time he broke in.

After plenty of swearing and jimmying it finally broke. James laughed and pulled the door open.

The James walked in and felt around for the light switch. He flicked them on the reveal a couple of work benches that where all filled with various inventions while there the sides of the room where filled with wood, various metals and plastics with chemicals lining the walls.

James picked up what looked like a gun with a grappling hook at the end of it. He inspected it before throwing it onto the bench again. He walked across again and picked up a pair of goggles. He moved them around in his hand before putting them on. He fiddled around with the side when it turned on.

"Whoa!" A white pulse shot out across his vision plane. It mapped everything from the tables, and materials. It then went into the other garages, he could see his dad's cars, his brooms and then out into the forest.

"They're sonar goggles." James instantly took them off and threw them on the table. His dad was standing at the entrance with a crooked grin on his face.

"I don't know why I even bother putting a lock on there anymore." He summoned a chair from one of the work benches and sat down. "You always find a way in anyway."

"You're…you're not mad?" asked James. Alec sighed heavily.

"I really shouldn't be." He said. "You've broken in here more times than I care to mention. So what are you looking for?"

"…Nothing." Said James. "Just seeing what you've been working on."

"I haven't been working on anything." Said Alec. "I only really do that before I go away on a mission." James nodded and then looked down at a small disc on the table.

"What's that?" he asked picking it up.

"It's a razor disc." Said Alec. "When you throw it, it splits into small ones. It surprises enemies, razor sharp as well, not to kill but to wound, gives you that split second advantage." James nodded and placed it back down.

"What about the goggles?"

"They were an H brand invention." Said Alec. "They send out a high frequency pulse that maps an environment and beyond in detail and sends them back to the goggles as a three dimensional image. So you could in theory map an entire building with them."

"Map a building?" said James. "But you'd have to remember where everyone is."

"That's the fun part." Said Alec. "H did come up with a small term alternative." He reached behind him and pulled out a small circle and placed it on the table along with some parchment.

"So, if you need to map a building from the outside then all you have to do is place one of these inside." Alec drew out a rough square on the parchment.

"So." He pressed the button on the top of circle and it beeped. James watched as the parchment then showed a complete map of the farmhouse. James went wide eyed and studied it as the details began to emerge. Eventually showing his mum in the kitchen with himself and his dad in the garage.

"Cool." Said James.

"It can map people to." Said Alec. "But they all need to have something in common for the charm to pick up on them."

"Does it show them moving?" asked James.

"No." he said picking the circle up. "It only has one charge in it and then it goes." He threw it across the table to James who picked it up. It could map out an entire environment and then tell you where people where. James frowned and turned it in his hand. If he could somehow find a way to make the pulse continuous and map the environment then it would show them where everyone else was.

"You looked really intrigued by it." said Alec. James was only half listening. He was still turning it over in his hand. This could be his ticket for figuring out the map.

"Do you know how to make it work all the time?" Asked James. "You know, like continuously."

"I don't, but then again I haven't ever needed something like that." Alec said taking it from James. Maybe he didn't. But James certainly did.

"I think I need something like this."

"Why?"

"Might just be useful." James said trying to sound non-committal.

"Actually I'm glad I found you. You're mum thought it would be nice for us to spend some time together."

"I thought we already did."

"Well not enough for her liking." Alec muttered. "So, I need to go to the Auror office, would you like to come with me?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, she thought it would appeal to your more adventurous streak." Alec said getting up. "We'll go next week."

* * *

Lily was sitting at her desk with her arms folded seemingly looking into space, she wishes she was, it would be so much more simpler if she was. She looked over at her bed, Horatio was lounging on her bed sleeping with the winter sun seeping into her room. Lily smiled at his cuteness, more so his little paw dangling over the bed.

"You ok Sweetpea?" Lily looked up and saw her mum.

"I'm fine." Lily ran a hand through her hair. "He's just making himself at home." She pointed to Horatio.

"Reminds me of you." Lavender said sitting on Lily's desk. Lily quirked her eyebrow.

"How so?" Lavender laughed to herself.

"You had to be the only toddler in the world that liked going to bed. You would suddenly decide you were tired and take yourself to bed."

"Most parents would like that." Lavender raised her eyebrow.

"Not at three in the afternoon." Lavender said while chuckling.

"When you're a mother you'll realise that it isn't. You would always need a nap but you would hate it. You would always murmur that you weren't tired, rubbing your eyes. I'd put you to bed and five minutes later you were out." Lavender laughed and shook her head.

"Adorable little thing you were."

"What do you mean 'were'? I still am." Lavender laughed and gathered Lily in a big hug which caused Lily to laugh to.

"Yes, yes you are." Lavender said kissing the crown of Lily's head. "So, what were you looking at?"

"Nothing, really." Lily said quietly. "Just enjoying being home." Lavender looked over at Lily's dressing table at the photos she was looking at. She saw a couple were recently crumpled, ones of her group of friends.

"…Ok. Besides, lunch is up."

* * *

James hadn't slept a wink at all. He was too excited to go to the Auror department today. It was always a place he wanted to go but neither his mum or dad wanted him to go. But, maybe his dad was warming to the idea that he was going to become an Auror with his permission or not.

He was just finishing getting changed when his dad poked his head round the door.

"Come on, before your mum wakes up." Said Alec. James grabbed his coat from his desk chair and followed his dad out of the door and out to snow covered drive.

"You know the rules."

"Yeah, don't tell mum." Said James. "I'm guessing that you're going to do some work while where there." Alec looked down at him unimpressed.

"Don't tell your mum." They apparated away.

They landed in a side street in central London somewhere. The snow was coming down in thick slow drops across the tall buildings, there was some remisance of snow on the ground but most of the snow had been cleared for cars to get by, anyone who was out was wrapped up warmly.

James and Alec walked across the road past the slow moving cars to Euston station.

"Why don't we use the main one?" Asked James.

"The Auror's have entrances to the ministry all over London." Explained Alec. "It means that we can get to the Ministry quicker in case of emergencies, and get around quicker in case of attacks."

They got to the station that was filled with angry commuters, irate at the cancellations of their trains to get home to loved ones for Christmas.

"Bloody joke, every bloody year!"

"It's just water for Christ sake!"

"Angry bunch muggles aren't they?" James said as they moved among them.

"You have no idea." Alec replied. They stopped outside a photo booth. Alec pulled the curtain back. James was expecting something fancy and exciting to greet him. All that was there though was a normal photo booth.

"Erm…"

"Sit on it and ask for a standard five." James looked up at his dad. "Now." James sat down on the chair and looked into the screen. He pressed the button that had standard five on it and pressed it.

"Photos will begin in ten seconds, say cheese!"

"What?"

A blinding light filled the small booth, followed by quick strobe lighting. The lighting then stopped. James blinked a few times and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Damn…" He got up from the seat. "Your evil, old man." James said getting up and pulling the curtain back.

"Wow..." James looked around the bull pen, it was very impressive, a large Auror badge that hung up on the wall and lots of desks in the middle of the circular room. James looked to his left and saw his Dad looking at a reel of Photos of James's squinting face.

"You look like an Idiot." Alec said laughing at the photos. James though was looking over at the bull pen.

"You work here?"

"Have done for the last few years." Said Alec as he walked on. James followed him down into the bull pen. "We used to work in Hereford." Said Alec. "But they moved us here after the unification of the enforcers and Auror's."

"Is it better?" asked James.

"Foods better." Said Alec. They walked past the desks, some were writing down notes while others where answering owl messages on their desks. They reached the other side of the room, the door was frosted with a giant A on the door. Alec opened the door into a cramped hallway.

"Welcome to the Auror department." Said Alec.

"It isn't what I expected it to be." Said James truthfully, he thought it was going to be a huge room with spacious offices and new inventions being made from down the hall. He thought in truth that it was going to be like the James Bond films he liked so much.

"Here's my office." They stopped outside an office at the end of the corridor with Alec's name on the door he opened it and looked around curiously. It was neat and tidy with a desk at the far side of the room with two chairs in front of it and a sofa on the left hand side and a plant on the right behind the desk.

"It's tidy." Said Alec walking in.

"Is it supposed be?" asked James as he walked in to.

"Wasn't last time I was here." Said Alec as he walked to the plant, it was a peace Lily. There was a tag on it.

 _Hope you like the plant and office._

 _Jemma ;)_

Alec crumpled up the note and threw it in the bin by the door. James sat down on the sofa while his dad sat down behind his desk.

"So, this is what you do in the office all day." Said James in a bored tone.

"Being an Auror incurs a lot of paperwork." Said Alec. "You should of seen the amount of paperwork I had to get through when you were kidnapped."

"Quite high?"

"Put it this way I was sick of your name." said Alec, he rustling through some papers on his desk while James looked around the room aimlessly.

"Come on, let's go see some new toys." Said Alec getting up from his seat.

"Where are the toys?"

"Research and development, or H department." Said Alec. "That's where I get my new equipment."

"I thought you made your own." Said James as they walked down the corridor.

"Only the stuff I know they can't make for me here." Said Alec. "Stuff like the capsule bombs, wingdings and grapnel guns. The Auror's frown on that stuff for some reason." They walked out of the corridor and back to the bull pen. They walked to the right to a high security door. James went to open it but was stopped by Alec.

"Hold it, that's a very high security door." Said Alec. "The most technological advances in the world go on through that door. Which means it has good defences."

"So, what would have happened if I had opened the door?"

"You wouldn't of been able to." Said Alec. "It takes a scan of your hand print to open the door. Simple scanning charm that checks your fingerprints." Alec placed his hand on the console and a red beam of light ran across his hand. When it finished, it turned green.

"Research and Development Door Activated. Welcome Auror Potter."

The door then opened into a glass corridor where people in white coats where tinkering with inventions for all to see. James stuck close to his dad as they walked down the corridor into a part of it that was now walled off with closed off rooms. But there where strange noises coming from them, groans and wails.

"What's behind there?" asked James. Alec looked over at the door which said Apokolips.

"Even if I knew I couldn't tell you." said Alec honestly. "And I really wouldn't want to know." He led James on the end room which had a plaque on the door with H on the door. James raised an eyebrow.

"Don't ask." Said Alec as he placed his hand on another console and it read his palm print.

"H Division. Welcome Auror Potter." The door opened into a big room with various work benches with electrical components in various stages of production. H was sat at the desk working on something, he hadn't noticed the door open. James and Alec looked at each other. Alec placed his finger up so stay quiet and then walked around behind H who was humming along on.

Alec brought his fist down on the table, hard.

"SHIT!" H turned and saw Alec smiling while James was laughing. H looked at Alec and then at James with a look apprehension.

"Oh god, there are two of you." said H.

"H, meet James. James, meet H." said Alec. "I've been told to look after him today by the wife, I thought I'd show him some of the new toys were working on."

"I you thought I'd have some?" asked H. "He really isn't supposed to be in here anyway, this is classified, the enforcers aren't even allowed in here."

"Well where in here." Said Alec. "Tell him about those new hand print consoles, there your pride and joy now aren't they?" H sighed.

"Yes, come on young Potter." H led them over to console. "One of our better inventions, the latest in private security, all the Quidditch stars and movie stars have them. Though we con them a fortune for them."

"What does it do?" asked James.

"It takes a full scan of a person's hand, palm and finger prints, if it's recognised by the wand, there let in." said H. "If not, then it alerts the Ministry and activates lock down and sets off a caterwauling charm. There trailing it here and then spreading it to other departments if it's a success."

"How does the console know who's a friend?" asked James.

"There's a wand in the central console that scans every hand print." Said H. "At the moment it's only my staff and the Auror's that are authorised on it so far."

"How are the anti-measures coming along?" asked Alec.

"Anti-measures?" asked James.

"We develop the most advanced and sophisticated technology in the world Mr Potter." Said H. "If it does fall into the wrong hands we have to be prepared to counter it. So with each new invention we know how to stop it."

"So, what anti-measures does this have?" asked James.

"They only thing we can think off at the moment someone using Polyjuice potion to bypass the security, as it does mimic fingerprints." Said H. "But, when thinking about that I came up with this."

H pulled a draw open on the bench and pulled out a glove. It looked like any normal glove accept it looked like it had millions of tiny scales on the palm.

"What is that?" asked Alec.

"I called it a Poly-glove." Said H. "It can change your palm into anyone else's."

"That doesn't seem very useful." Said Alec.

"Maybe not now." said H. "But when this tech becomes more widespread we'll have whole suits made of this stuff."

"How do you get it to change?" asked James slowly.

"What? The glove?" James nodded. "All you need to do is place it against a palm and use the incantation for a copying charm."

"Look. Alec, give me your hand." Alec his hand up as H applied the glove to his hand and then placed it against his. He pulled his wand out of his back pocket and pointed it at the glove.

"Reverbaray."

The glove shimmied, the palm then turned into Alec's palm. H turned his wand in his hand and then placed it back in his back pocket. He walked over to the door leading out and closed it.

The door then opened.

"H Division. Welcome Auror Potter." The door opened and H walked through with a big grin on his face.

"It's brilliant." Said H. "Though there's no need for it yet. But it's great." He threw the glove on the work bench.

"Impressive." Alec mused. "Listen I have to go do some paperwork and I have to see the boss. H can you keep an eye on James."

"Yeah, sure." He said as Alec walked away out of the door.

"Goodbye Auror Potter."

"Oh! You should see the new Portkey we've been developing." Said H. "You know how Portkeys can only be used once and need to be from the place you need to go."

"Yeah, it's bloody annoying." Said James.

"Well, we've been developing a new Portkey that can take you to anyplace in the world multiple times." Said H. "So they can be used again without having to get something from the place you want to go."

H walked to the bench and place his hand on the bench. "Very top secret so we have to keep it under guard, only I have access to this." He placed his palm on the bench.

"H." A small cylinder rose up from the bench with smoke emitting from it. He then pulled out what looked like a small spider looking thing. A circle with eight small legs coming from it.

"A continuous Portkey charm fused with an apparition charm, very extreme potioneering went into this." Said H. "Just press your finger on the circle, and think about your destination, five seconds later it activates and sends you there."

"That's amazing." Said James. "So no asking for a new one every time."

"That's why the minister asked for It." said H. "Because off all the requests they have for them. But, at the moment they want to hold back on it so they can see what it can do for the Auror's. A completely traceless teleportation device, the Russians would do anything for something like this."

"So, is this the only one?" asked James placing his hands in his pockets.

"So far." Said H. "We tried interfacing it with the original Portkey networks, but with the apparition element in it it's impossible, it couldn't even interface with the apparition network."

"So…does it even work?" asked James.

"It does now we created its own network." Said H. James's mouth dropped open.

"You made an entire network for this?" said James.

"It's unique." Said H. "I'd say that with this bad boy you can apparate into Hogwarts without them knowing."

"That's amazing." Said James. "Listen, can you help me with something?"

"Sure, what is it?" asked H. James looked around, satisfied they were alone and pulled out the map and the sonar detector.

"Hey, that's my sonar detector!" said H. "How did you get that?"

"I took it from my dad." said James, he looked up at H's appalled face. "Well he took it from you, I'm, balancing the universe by bringing it back." H didn't say anything for a moment.

"You Potters do have a way with words." Said H with a frown. "Your dad won't yell at me for this will he?"

"I don't think he will." Said James. "I think he'll be quite impressed actually if I can pull it off."

"Ok, and, what is it you want help with?" asked H. James tapped the map.

"That is a map of Hogwarts." Explained James. "I want to be able to see where everyone is in the castle." H picked up the map and began to flick through the folds and frowned.

"It isn't finished." He said.

"It isn't yet." Said James. "Is there a way that this." He picked up the sonar reader. "Could it do what I want?" H held his chin and tapped it with his finger.

"It would be very difficult." Said H. "The sonar is only used for small range and can only map inanimate objects."

"So it couldn't show where people are at any given time?" asked James. H shook his head.

"Sorry mate, I wish I could help you more but magic can only go so far." He said. James started to gather the map and sonar reader.

"Ah, ah." H took the sonar reader back from him. "I think I'll keep hold of that, you're not leaving with any souvenir's from here young Potter." James smirked and held his hands up in surrender.

"Can't blame a guy for trying." Said James. "I'm going to try and find my dad. Thanks for the tour, and the map."

"I hope it works out for you." said H going back to his work as James opened the door. He laughed to himself and emptied his pocket to reveal the Poly-glove. James laughed and placed it over his hand and went to the door leading to the bull pen. He placed his hand over the console and saw it change into his dad's palm.

"Now leaving research and development. Bye Auror Potter."

* * *

"I have lived over many life times. I have seen the rise of civilisations, and watched them fall into the sands of time. I have seen the very best of man, but all too often it is overshadowed by the knowledge that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts, absolutely."

Dracula turned round and faced the hooded man known only as Voldemort.

"What makes you think that you won't?" Voldemort laughed, cold and humourless.

"Power corrupts the pure Vladimir." He walked to the window that over looked a rock field that surrounded the Icy fortress. "I assure you." He turned back. "I'm not pure." He chuckled in the same humourless laugh.

"The sacred Twenty eight are gathering for the annual Bones Party. An affair that they all hate but cannot bare to be apart from."

"What do you suggest?"

"If you want to make your presence known, then now is the time." Dracula chuckled.

"And killing one of them was a way to get their attention?" Voldemort chuckled again.

"Death brings solidarity. Surely you above all know that. All the dead have are each other." Dracula nodded.

"I intend to make an entrance."

"I expect nothing less." They walked out of the room into the castle.

"How's the new machine coming along?"

"It's taken time." Dracula mused as they walked down towards the cellar. "But my minions have created something of sufficient quality."

"Is there anything you need?" Dracula smirked.

"The new machine needs an avatar to draw power, humans don't work and I need something that will."

"What did you have in mind?"

"I need a werewolf." Dracula turned fully to Voldemort. "And an Enforcer."

 **The Marauders Proudly Present James Potter in: The Marauders Year Two**

 **Chapter Eighteen**

 **The Bull Pen**

 **Written By Chambers10**


	19. Chapter 19

"So…they do this party every year?" said Lavender brushing down Lily's dress. Lily looked down at her mums hand and then again in the mirror to rearrange her hair.

"According to Dorcas they do." Said Lily. "All the movers and shakers from the wizarding world are going to be there."

"I couldn't imagine having to organise something of that scale." Said Lavender. "It must take a small army to prepare."

"Of house elves." Said Lily. "Old wizarding families have elves that do all their work for them."

"Like what?"

"Cleaning, cooking, changing the rooms, all the stuff you do on a Friday." Said Lily.

"I could do with one of those." Said Lavender. "Save me from rearranging your bookshelf every time you come home."

"I think it's barbaric." Said Lily. "They should be free." Lavender smiled and began to lightly curl Lily's hair.

"That's a very noble thing to think Lily." said Lavender. "I think they'll love you in the wizarding world."

"I hope so." Said Lily. Lavender finished curling it and clapped her hands.

"You look beautiful Lily." said Lavender admiring her daughter in the mirror. It seemed so strange, not so long ago she was just a small school girl in her eyes. But here she was now turning into what Lavender could only describe as a young woman. She kissed the top of her hair.

"And Dorcas got you an invite, that's really great, you never know, you might snare yourself a nice boyfriend."

"What!" said Lily turning to face her mother, the slightest shade of pink on her cheeks. "I thought you said not to focus on that sort of thing?"

"I know, but these things happen in mysterious ways." Said Lavender. Lily shook her head and scowled at the knock at the door.

"That'll be Dorcas." Said Lily. "Well….how do I look?" Lavender smiled. Her little girl all grown up.

"You look beautiful darling." Said Lavender she smiled as Lily twirled in her dress. "You look so grown up."

"Thanks mum." Said Lily. "I'll see you later." She picked her bag up, she hugged her mum.

"I love you Lily."

"Love you to mum."

Lily walked out and said good bye to her dad. When she heard the sound of her… teleporting or whatever. Lavender breathed out and looked at the door. She fumbled with her fingers and got up from the bed and brushed her legs down. She heard the door close from downstairs and then sat down dejectedly on the bed. A few moments later John appeared at the door. Lavender didn't look up, instead she shook her head.

"You were right." She said.

"Right about what?" asked John.

"About Lily." said Lavender around a sigh. "She is so much more confident now. So much more of a young woman than the little girl I remember."

"You were the one who told me she was nearly a teenager." Said John.

"I never realised she was growing up so fast." Said Lavender. Her hand brushing against Lily's sheets. "What happened to her John? What happened to my shy little girl who never wanted to leave my side?" John sat next to her.

"She's done what you've always wanted her to do." Said John. "She's grown her wings and started to fly."

"I know." Said Lavender. "But it's been eighteen months and she's changed so much. What's going to happen when she's fourteen, sixteen, eighteen?"

"She will be different again." said John. "I can't change that."

"But, we should be there with her for those moments, those really important times in her life. I mean, I look at all the things Petunia does and…" she paused.

"I just think that we'll never see those things with Lily."

"As parents, we have to be there for Lily when she needs It." said John. "Yeah, where going to miss a couple of things, but at the same time we have to accept that she is more independent and outgoing. I'm over the moon about that." Lavender nodded and leaned into John.

"I don't want her or Petunia to grow up." Said Lavender.

* * *

They landed on a lawn that over looked a huge manor house. In the dark of night it stood out like a sore thumb with the bright lights and music coming within the house.

"Wow…"

"Impressive, isn't It?" said Dorcas as they walked up to the house. They were walking through a small entrance garden that had a large, grand fountain.

 **The Marauders Proudly Present James Potter and Lily Evans in, The Marauders: Year Two**

 **Chapter Nineteen**

 **The Christmas Party**

 **Written By Chambers10**

"It seems very busy already." Said Lily.

"All the movers and shakers come to this." Explained Dorcas. "It's like anybody who's anybody comes here."

"And you get an invite every year?" asked Lily as the got onto the steps leading up to the house.

"Yeah. Well our families go back a long way." Said Dorcas. "In the old times it used to be a way of families introducing girls and boys of age to one another."

"So families dictated who would go with whom?" Dorcas nodded.

"Keeping blood lines pure was very big back then." Dorcas's parents handed over the invitation at the door. The man looked down and nodded and showed them inside to a very grand looking entrance hall with large white staircase and fancy artwork across the wall. They were led to two large oak doors on the right of the room which the servant opened.

The room reminded Lily of the huge room that Dorcas had her birthday party in. But the room was a brilliant white with lots of ancient Greek style pillars along the sides and a big dance floor in the middle of the room.

"I thought it would have some Halloween theme." Said Lily.

"Because the name is Bones?" asked Dorcas. Lily nodded, noticing a four string band playing.

"So, what do I do here exactly?"

"Socialise." Said Dorcas. "Talk to people about your interests, as a muggleborn here people are as interested in you as you in them."

"Right, ok, I can do that. Is anyone else we know gonna be here?"

"James and Sirius should be." Said Dorcas. "Isabel and Jess certainly will and Marlene might, she wasn't sure if her family had done enough to get an invite."

"Oh."

"But there should be some people from the older years you might recognise." She said as they made their way down to the dance floor.

"Where do we find them?"

"If I know James and Sirius they'll be by the food."

* * *

"It gets crapper every year." Said James. He was leaning up against one of the pillars looking out over the party.

"Tell me about it." Alec swigged from his drink.

"Why did we have to come again?"

"Because your mum said so." Said Alec.

"But the match is on."

"I know that." Said Alec. "Not as if we could find a radio either, too much interference." James leaned back on the Pillar.

"Is there nothing fun here we could do?"

"You always seem to make your own fun here if I remember." Said Alec. "Actually, I do remember."

"The chocolate fountain?"

"I was impressed with that." Said Alec. "It really did break my heart to have to tell you off for that."

"You gave me sweets didn't you?" asked James.

"Only when your mum wasn't looking." Said Alec. He looked over at the food table that was still busy with party goers.

"So much for your wait and see approach." Said James. "All the good stuff will be gone at this rate."

"It'll be free soon mate." Said Alec patting him on the back. "Why don't you go find Sirius. I'm sure he's bored to death as well."

"Good idea." Said James.

"Can we get Pizza afterward?"

"Yeah." Said Alec nodding his head, "That sounds like a great idea, presuming you don't do anything stupid."

"Define stupid?" asked James.

"Put it this way, if you think it's a good idea, then don't do It." said Alec walking off into the crowd.

"That's a broad definition." Said James.

"Ah, Alec." Alec closed his eyes in annoyance and turned to Parks who was with Edward Gamine. "Do mind if we have a word?" Alec sighed.

"Sure, why not." He said limping over.

"Mr Gamine."

"Mr Potter."

"How goes the vampire hunting?" asked Alec. Gamine locked his jaw.

"Very well thank you, although the rumours of Dracula rising again are most distracting at this point in time."

"Is there any truth to it?"

"The vampires seem to be rallying around one leader at the moment, maybe the one bride that Stone wasn't able to seal away."

"She might have the know how how the rise of Dracula?" interjected Parks.

"Then why would she wait so long?" asked Alec. "I'm not really sure what to make of it. Where did the rumours start circling?"

"Some nut job in Albania saying he was responsible." Said Gamine. "No truth to them in the end."

"I can think of a few people who would want to." Said Alec. "Though the Vampire Hunters have done really well though."

"Yes, they've been led by one Erin Valarious." Said Parks. "She's been pushing them back for years to a secluded part of the Romanian mountains."

"Without Dracula leading the Vampires they've been less daring in recent times." Said Gamine. "But I suppose it was a ticking time bomb with one of his brides still out there."

"Yeah, suppose it was, but are the enforcers the answer?" asked Alec. Gamine didn't look impressed with him. "I don't think there trained enough to deal with this."

"I deem that they are." Said Gamine irritated. "They've had the best training from the vampire hunters, The Auror's aren't the be all and end all of our national security, maybe you just might making things worse."

"You're sending men and women who are undertrained to fight a war you barely understand." Said Alec. "And the consequences are more severe than a broken bone or a graze, it could be a change livelihood, or worse." Gamine frowned at him, clearly not liking the tone Alec was taking with him.

"I have the press and the commentators badgering me about this enough without you adding to it Mr Potter." Said Gamine. "So unless you have anything productive to add, I think where done here." Alec nodded.

"Fair enough." He said. "Although have you wondered why these rumours about Dracula refuse to go away?" Gamine and Parks looked at each other with confused expressions and then back to Alec.

"Because maybe there might be an element of truth to them." Alec shrugged. "Food for thought."

Alec hobbled away from Parks and Gamine who were looking into their drinks. "He doesn't seem to be getting any better." Said Parks.

"He's old." said Gamine sipping from his glass. "He may have been a special asset but now where thinking he's becoming a liability." Parks looked up with a confused expression.

"But he caught Robert Murdoch." Said Parks.

"Yes, but look at the big picture Stanford." Said Gamine. "We may have Alec Potter but we also have a bad track record for psychopaths."

"But, where talking about Alec Potter." Said Parks. He's hunted down or killed any threat to this world in the last what, fifty years?" Parks sipped more of his drink. "He's a hero."

"A 'war' hero." Said Gamine condescendingly. "This is peace time now."

"But what about these Vampires?" Asked Parks. "I'd much rather have him deal with it than some newbie who doesn't know what he's doing." Gamine laughed again.

"These vampires are going to go back into their hole in their shit hole of a country and we'll have no need for him." he said. "The way I see it, he's already at the end of his rope."

"But he's given this world so much." Said Stanford. "I don't think he really knows anything else."

"That's his problem not ours." Said Gamine. "The difference between him and his brother is that his brother chose a desk job, better job security than someone out in the field."

"But he has a fragile state of mind." Said Gamine. "You saw more than most what happened with his daughter, what would have happened if Murdoch had killed his son. Would he of gone more of the rails."

"You can't compare." Said Parks.

"He should have just stayed retired." Continued Gamine. "Maybe Murdoch wouldn't have come out of the wood work otherwise."

"I doubt he would stayed quiet." Said Parks.

"I doubt it." said Gamine. "Has he ever wondered that all of the troubles are his own fault." Parks looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"No, think about it. Would the Necrofear, Chambers, Serpent Master. All of them wanted Alec to come and catch them, and he always indulged them."

"Because people we don't negotiate with these people." Parks said narrowing his eyes. "He always beat them though." Said Parks.

"Yes, but it shows that he is as unstable as the people he hunts." Said Gamine. "That compulsive need to show off and be the saviour. Exposure like that creates that next generation of villain, look at Grindewald and all those splinter groups from that." Gamine sipped his drink.

"That's the reason why the minister wants him gone. No one can be bigger than the ministry, more to the point, no one can be bigger than the minister." He finished his drink.

"Between you and me he's more scared at the prospect of having the Potter trying to run for office."

"That would never happen. Alec's not political. All the more reason he would want to keep them onside." Said Parks.

"His brother is a slippery bastard." Said Gamine. "He would throw Alec under the bus if it meant him keeping his job."

"Would he do that?"

"The minister doesn't like that fact that they have a free reign." Said Gamine. "That Tim floats between any department that takes his fancy." Parks sipped on his drink.

"I know what you're up to as well." Parks said looking at Gamine.

"I hear the rumours to Edward. Word through the grape vine is that your eyeing up that position." Gamine smirked.

"So when you say that no one can be bigger than the ministry. Or minister, does that mean you?" Parks downed his drink.

"Think about it." He walked off leaving Gamine with his drink. He smirked more.

"Visionary." He chuckled. "They don't know the meaning of the word."

* * *

"Did you do it?"

"Do I look like a complete idiot? Of course I did it." Sirius pulled back a bush to show James the fireworks. James stepped into the bush and looked at the fireworks. He let out a low whistle.

"These look like the biz." James said running his finger over one. "When are they set to go off?"

"Just before the boring speeches." James nodded.

"Excellent. That's in a couple of hours. Shall we mingle?"

"Who's there to mingle with?" Sirius asked as they walked back.

"Let's see if Dorcas turns up, if not we'll try with some of the older years." They walked across the wet grass back to the house. James looked to his left and saw the low lying mist roll across the usually immaculate cut grass and classic stone sculptures when he saw something shoot across the ground.

"Did you see that?"

"See what?"

"That black thing fly across the ground?" Sirius looked around.

"I didn't see anything."

"Well I did." James said starting to walk over to where he saw it.

"James, leave it." Sirius stopped and sighed as James walked across the grass to what seems a random piece. James got on his haunches and ran his hand over the turf. He pulled his hand up and wiped on his shoe.

"Step in dog shit?"

"No, feel the ground." Sirius walked over and placed his hands down where James's was.

"It's dry, so what?"

"Look at the grass." Sirius looked down. "The ground is wet, so why has this patch suddenly become dry?"

"I don't know, come on, let's go back inside, I'm freezing my bollocks off here." James frowned but got back to his feet. They continued towards the house, James though afforded a long look back. Something wasn't quite right.

They walked into the house, quietly closing the doors behind them and slipping into the crowd.

"Ah, there's Dorcas." Sirius pointed over to her. "Looks like she brought a friend."

"Who?" James asked uninterested. Sirius looked over the crowd and squinted.

"It looks like Evans." James quickly pushed Sirius out of the way. "Hey watch it!" She was wearing a purple dress with her hair down. He knew it was her from her hair, he could never miss that shade of red anywhere.

"Wow." His view was stopped by Sirius throwing James's neck down.

"Thanks for barging me out the way!" He said shaking his head. "Shall we go over and talk to them?"

"There talking to Bones." James said craning his neck.

"What does he want to talk to Dorcas for?" James squinted.

"I don't think it's Dorcas he's intrigued in."

* * *

"Dominic and Sarah to lovely to see you!" Herbert Bones, a porky man in flashy dress robes with short white hair shook Dominic Meadows hand. "Lovely to see you again, Ah Dorcas my word you get more and more beautiful every day." Dorcas laughed and shook her hair.

"Thank you Mr Bones, it's another lovely party."

"Beauty, brains and manners, haha, you really did swim in the right gene pools." He looked over at Lily.

"And who is your friend?"

"Oh, Mr Bones, this is my friend Lily, Lily Evans, she is in my house at Hogwarts." Lily but her hand out for him to shake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir. And thank you for the invite." Bones let out a booming laugh.

"Not at all Lily." He said in an equally booming voice. "I must say, Evans isn't a name that I'm familiar with." He scratched his chin. "You're not Welsh are you?"

"No…Sir, I'm muggleborn." Lily explained. He nodded at her curiously. "Mr Bones I'm a huge fan on your potion hypothesis. Particularly on your DNA inclusions in the healing potions."

"Impressive. And you understood all that?"

"I did it was really interesting."

"She's a reader." Dorcas Interjected.

"Well Miss Evans I will certainly keep an eye on you, my company is always looking for new up and comers. You certainly have the mind of an experimental brewer." Lily began to play with her hair.

"Really?"

"I would say so. You should come by our labs some time, enjoy your evening Miss Evans." Lily wanted to talk more about potions but was hurried along by Dorcas and her parents.

"Did you hear that!"

"I did Lily." Dorcas said smiling. "Maybe I should swot up on my potions."

"You're gonna rule the Quidditch pitch." Lily countered. "I'm gonna rule the lab."

"You girls have fun." Dominic said coming over. "Where going to leave just after midnight, we'll meet you for the speeches, and don't get into trouble." They looked over at Dorcas who grinned sheepishly.

"Well I can try." She said taking Lily's hand. "You crazy kids have fun." She yanked Lily's hand and took her away.

"We're we going?"

"The adults have their own little party." Dorcas explained. "We're seen and not heard." Lily stopped.

"What?"

"Yeah. But it doesn't mean we can't have fun."

* * *

Lily seriously wondered what the point was of coming. She had been sold this as a chance to meet new people, but here she was answering the same question. Yes, she was muggleborn, yes Evans was an unusual name, but also.

"No, Evans isn't Welsh." Lily said in an irritated voice.

"Are you sure? It sounds it." Lily shook her head.

"No, I'm from Yorkshire." She said shaking her head.

"Well...since you're knew here. Maybe I can tell you some of our customs?"

"Ok..."

"Well it's custom for girls who come here for the first time it's tradition for them to kiss the first boy they talk to?" Lily laughed to herself. She folded her arms and looked at the boy standing before her, he was a very porky with matted blonde hair, he was trying his best to entice her but he wasn't that smart.

"Really? No one ever told me that." She said. "And..." she leaned in closer. "It's the first boy you talk to here?"

"Well..." He ran a chubby hand through his hair. "That is what I said."

Lily nodded. "A-ha." She was teasing viciously, but it was to much fun. "But, who do I do it to? I have no idea."

"Well...you could always...you know. Me?" To easy.

"You what?"

"...Kiss me?" Lily faked a shocked gasp.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly do that." Lily said.

"Oh... I wouldn't m-mind, that." I bet you wouldn't thought Lily.

"Well...I suppose one wouldn't hurt." Lily whispered. He pursed his lips. Lily smirked to herself, shook her head and walked away.

Lily walked away from the group back towards the main hall. This wasn't anything like she was expecting at all. She slipped inside and looked at what was going on. She could hear the four string playing a much quicker tempo. She made her way silently to one of the pillars and leaned against it.

She enjoyed watching it, the dancing. It was like her Jane Austin books, in so many more ways than one.

"You look bored." Lily turned quickly and saw Potter grinning at her. "Isn't anything what you thought it would be was it." Lily pulled a face and looked away from him.

"According to my dad, it gets better when you're older." He continued walking till he was next to her and leaned on the pillar next to her and they watched the adults dancing together.

"What's better about it?" asked Lily. "As a child here it's seen and not heard." She laughed to herself. "I can see why you blew up your passing out ceremony." She could hear him laugh behind her.

"You're the first person who's laughed at that." He said. "Everyone else sees it as immature."

"Well it is." Said Lily. "But I can see why you did it." Potter laughed and saw her turn back and smiled at him.

"Well…If you're bored, we can always do something fun." Said Potter. Lily turned back to him. Just like before, she looked good looking in his eyes, with half her face in the light, and the other half in the darkness. Her features looked at him up and down and then back to the party, she then turned back to him.

"Ok Potter." She said. "What do you have mind?" Potter smirked.

"I was hoping you'd say that." He said. "Come on." They had to go across the room, he wouldn't be surprised if she didn't follow him but she did. She was grinning as well.

"Ok, where are we going?"

"The other side of the room." He said pointing to a grand door at the other side. "Keep to the sides ok, we need to be inconspicuous." Lily smirked and followed Potter down the side of the room that was shaded by the pillars where couples waited to dance.

"I'll get lost in that." Lily said craning her neck.

"Here." Not looking back, he held his hand for her. "Follow me." After what felt like an eternity he felt a soft hand in his and they set off. Weaving in and out of bodies while the classical music played behind them.

"Really, where are we going?" asked Lily.

"We need to get some supplies." He could tell she was trying to think what they were going to do. She looked adorable with her face screwed up.

"What are we going to do?"

"Wait." They got to the other side of the room and he gently pushed the door open and they slipped into the marble hallways.

"How do you know where you're going?" asked Evans. James Smirked and placed his hands in his pockets.

"Intuition." Said James. Evans raised her eyebrow. James smirked and chuckled. "I know the layout of this house like the back of my hand. When you have time to kill not being heard you find other ways."

"And so how do we make ourselves heard?" asked Lily.

"By making a big bang." Said Potter. "But first we need to go to a very secret part of the house." Lily stopped. Potter turned round.

"Potter, it's called secret for a reason." She said. "We shouldn't go."

"Fine." He said turning back round and walking back, "Have fun at the party leaning on the wall." Lily looked back at the door that lead back to the party and then back to Potter who was walking away. Lily sighed.

"Wait up!" she called as she caught up with him. She couldn't tell if he was smirking or not. "So…what do we need to get?" she asked. Trying to make some conversation.

"Do you know what the Bones are famous for?" asked Potter. They stopped by t junction to another corridor. Potter looked round the corners to make sure that no one was down them while Lily pondered the question.

"I…don't really know?" she said truthfully, she knew they dabbled in potions but for what purpose she didn't know.

"You'll never beat me at this rate." Said Potter walking round the corner. Lily swiftly followed, damn these heels she thought.

"There famous for potion brewing." Said Potter. "They are always at the forefront of potion innovation." Lily somehow didn't like where this was going.

"And?" They stopped outside a seemingly blank wall.

"Well there so good that they do some chemistry work for the muggle world." Said Potter put his hand flat against the wall. "Have you ever heard of penicillin?"

"Yes, Alexander Fleming discovered it." said Lily.

"Wrong. It was a Bones invention, Wizards have had it since the Tudor's." said Potter. He hit part of the wall with his fist. Lily laughed.

"That's ridiculous." Said Lily after calming down slightly. "Alexander Fleming discovered Penicillin. I read about it in a book, he discovered it while looking at mould."

"No, Gylnhelm Bones discovered it as a bonding agent for his potions to wipe out Cholera." Said Potter. "You can read up on it, in, oh, what are those things called again?"

"Nice try Potter, I maybe be muggleborn but I wasn't born yesterday." Said Lily. She suddenly forgot the argument as Potter pulled out a wand.

"Potter, you could get in trouble with using magic outside of school!" she hissed. She looked around to see still only them in the corridor and back to him.

"Not with this." Said Potter. "The Ministry can only trace wands bought from Ollivanders." Lily screwed her face up in confusion.

"That…isn't your wand then?" she said pointing at it.

"Well done." Said Potter. "It's a burner wand. It works with any witch or wizard, there made with chameleon tale but can only cast a certain number of spells."

"How many?" asked Lily.

"Ten, I think." Said Potter. That was news to Lily, maybe if she got one then she could use magic when she was back home.

"And… how many have you used so far?" she asked.

"About three." Said Potter pointing it at the door. "Alohamora!" Nothing happened. Potter looked at the wand and back at the door.

"This usually works." He said frowning at the wand.

"Some performance issues Potter?" Lily said Smirking, "Well it isn't uncommon."

"I can, just don't pressure me." He said. "Alhamora."

"You said it wrong."

"Did not."

"Urgh, give it here and let me show you how it should be done." Said Lily snatching it off him. Potter went to protest but then didn't. Lily cleared her throat.

"Alohamora." She said, making sure each syllable was clear for Potter to hear. The door slid back, there was an outpour of dust that made Lily look away.

"Didn't expect that did you." said Potter.

"What are we getting from here exactly?" asked Lily.

"You know how I told you The Bones's where chemists."

"Yeah."

"Well It means that Mr Bones, master potioneer that you were gushing over earlier."

"I wasn't, gushing."

"It means that he has a nice stash of potion chemicals." Said Potter. "Ones that he just so happens keeps here." The dust cleared and inside was a room filled with Jars with chemical symbols and various liquids.

"Why do I get the impression I'm in over my head?" asked Lily.

"Probably because you are." Said Potter walking while holstering his wand. Lily followed him in, her eyes looking at the various liquids.

"So…what is it were looking for?" asked Lily.

"Where looking for…" he trailed off and then picked up a jar which had H2O2 on the jar. "This." He said checking just to make sure.

"What is it?"

"I thought being muggleborn they taught you chemistry." Said Potter.

"Symbol's" said Lily, "So it has hydrogen and oxygen in it."

"Very good," said Potter. "It's Hydrogen Peroxide. It reacts with meat to let off foam that will cover everyone."

"That's small." Said Lily smirking, remembering an experiment she did at school. "We need something bigger than that."

"This one's worked well for ages. It's a signature." He said looking down at the bottle.

"You want something that's going to make a mess." Said Lily. "What we need, is instant snow." She began to look down the shelves, she stopped then pattered her leg on the floor. She remembered to symbol from somewhere.

"What are you looking for?"

"Sodium something." said Lily. "I'll know it when I…" Lily trailed off when she saw it before her.

CH2-CH(CO2Na) otherwise known as.

"Sodium Polyacrlyrate." Said Lily smiling. She picked up the jar and showed it to Potter. He eyed it sceptically.

"What does it do?"

"It reacts with water to make a snow like thing." Said Lily. "We did it in an experiment in school."

"And what are we supposed to do with it?" asked Potter.

"You're the prankster here, I thought it would be obvious." Said Lily. Potter quirked an eyebrow. Lily rolled her eyes.

"The fountain Potter, the inside of the fountain." Said Lily, "If we place this inside then it's going to."

"Expand everywhere."

"Exactly." Said Lily.

"Well Evans, I'm impressed." Said Potter. "And here I thought you were just a suck up who hated me."

"Well. Not hate." Said Lily, "Disapprove of, there's a difference. Make yourself useful and put some of that in the fountain." She handed him the jar and walked out, he hadn't followed straight away.

"Are you coming Potter?" she called. She turned back and he was staring at her. "Potter?"

"Uhm, yeah, yeah!" he said now following her with the two jars in his hands.

They walked out into the gardens towards the main fountain. They moved to the back of the fountain and Potter placed the jars back down on the floor. Potter ran his hand over the base of the fountain.

"What are we looking for?" asked Lily.

"The insides." Said Potter. He then smiled and then abruptly elbowed it, causing Lily to jump back slightly.

"Didn't scare you did I?" asked Potter.

"No." said Lily walking back forward folding her arms across her chest. Potter pulled the panel off and threw it to the floor. Lily looked inside and her eyes shot up. She had no idea how this worked. Potter on the other hand was smirking and looking inside.

"Ok, pass me that snow stuff." Lily bent down, moving some hair from her face as she did and picked up the sodium Polyacrlyrate to hand it to Potter. When she handed them over though, he was looking at her oddly.

"Potter?" He frowned. "Potter!"

"Oh, yeah, thanks." He said taking the jar and opening it. He turned back to the inside of the fountain, muttering something to himself. He then poured the solution in.

"How long does it take to react?" asked Potter.

"Not that long." Said Lily, "Come on, we should go before someone sees." Potter did the fountain back up and they made their way back to the house.

"You were right, it does act fast." Lily turned and laughed. The fountain was now filling up with artificial snow.

"Fair play Evans, that was quite-!" he stopped. He turned to the door."

"What."

"Shh!" Potter held his hand up and pointed to the door. Lily focused, and sure enough she could hear voices.

"The fountain? Jeffery, what do you mean it's been sabotaged." Lily and James looked at each other. "If we hurry we can still find out who did it!"

"Damn."

"Oh no." said Lily bringing her hand to her mouth. "What do we do?"

"One thing to do." Said Potter. "He grabbed her hand and dragged her off to the right towards the gardens. Lily looked back and what looked like the entire party had filed out to see what was going on. Most laughed, while some, who Lily thought was the Bones family shouting and pointing.

"Over the bush!" Lily felt Potter let go of her hand. She looked forward and saw him jump over a low bush. Lily stopped and skidded. He sailed over and landed on the other side.

"Evans, quickly!" he hissed. Lily looked down at the bush. In a way, it was just like Christmas last year.

"Come on!" Lily ran and then jumped over and saw James right up against the bush. Lily kneeled down next to him.

"Hopefully they won't see that." Said Lily.

"Not here." Said Potter. "This is the hideout I always use." Lily laughed, she then turned round and saw a huge array of fireworks before them. Lily's eyes went wide.

"What, are they!" she said pointing at them.

"Fireworks." Said Potter still looking at the commotion.

"Why do you have fireworks!" Lily hissed.

"Me and Sirius where saving them for a surprise later." Said Potter.

"How the hell did you get them here!"

"I still need my secrets Evans." Said Potter now turning towards her. He frowned at her stare.

"What?"

"Fireworks?" said Lily.

"There not that harmful." Said Potter.

"I don't like the harmful bit." Said Lily. "What do they do?"

"Explode, just like any other firework." Said James.

"Why don't I trust you." said Lily folding her arms across her chest.

"Because you need a practical demonstration." Said Potter pulling out the burner wand and pointing it at the tip of one of the placed fireworks.

"NO!" Lily went to knock the wand out of his hand. She hit his hand, but couldn't stop the sparks from flying. They lit up the biggest one that was let at the end. Lily was now perched on his hip and knocked the wand out of his hand.

As it went high into the sky. Potter brought his hand across her and knocked her to the floor. Lily shrieked in surprise and fell onto the floor next to him. They both looked up at the now travelling firework. Lily turned to James.

He had an odd smile on his face. A relaxing smile. He placed his hands behind his head so they made a pillow.

"What are you doing?"

"Just watch Evans." He said in a relaxed tone. "Or you're going to miss the show."

"What-"

BANG.

Lily looked up. The firework had exploded and was now showering the sky it bright lights. The colours and vibrancy where unlike anything Lily had ever seen from a normal firework. And from there perch point, she had to admit.

The view was perfect, like the whole sky had been replaced by disco lights. She leaned back on the grass and watched the show. Explosion and swirls of colour dancing in the sky which reflected down on the house and had everyone in awe of its beauty. Lily smiled despite herself.

It was truly incredible to witness.

She turned over to see what Potter's reaction was, but, strangely, he was looking at her. Why was he doing that thought Lily. Potter noticed and suddenly turned away. Lily couldn't tell if he was blushing or not in the darkness and vibrant colours. But she quirked her eyebrow and looked back up at the sky.

But, alas, the colours died down. The swirls became less vibrant and soon dissolved into the darkness of the night sky. Lily sighed, it was almost too beautiful to actually end.

"I liked that." Said Lily. She turned to Potter who had turned to towards her.

"Glad you lit it now?" asked Potter. Lily laughed slightly and rolled her eyes.

"That was an accident." Said Lily. "But…" she nodded. "A happy accident." Potter nodded, he then looked over the bush to see people congratulating Mr Bones on a brilliant firework display. Lily looked over to, she then looked to her right and saw Potter huff.

"What?"

"He's taking the credit for it." said Potter with a frown. "I did it, I should get the applause."

"But if you do that, then you get us both in trouble for sabotaging the fountain." Lily pointed out. He closed his eyes in defeat and slumped back behind the bush.

"At least I know you did It." said Lily. "Doesn't that count for something?"

Potter nodded. "Yeah, I suppose it does." He then looked over the bush again.

"Shit."

"What?"

"My dad." Lily went to look over the bush as well.

"What about him?" she asked.

"He's looking over here?"

"Is that bad?" asked Lily.

"I think it might be since he's walking over this way." Said Potter.

"Damn."

"Want to go for a run?" Lily looked down at her dress not really wanting to. She pulled a pained face.

"Is hanging out with you always like this?" asked Lily.

"Ask Dorcas, she'll tell you that this is mild." Said Potter as he turned back and pointed forward. Lily looked back and they both moved towards the forest before them.

"Ok, where do we go now?" asked Lily.

"Just make our way back to the party and hope no one notices were gone." Said Potter. Lily looked over at him, he seemed cool and relaxed, hands in the pockets on his suit trousers.

"So…what else are you doing for your holidays?" he asked. His hand then let his pocket and ruffled his hair. If only he just ruffled the other side a little bit more. Wait, the question.

"Oh, uhm, not much really." said Lily. "Just been enjoying time at home. What about you? Seeing your friend in America?" He shifted a little.

"No." he said. "She's gone skiing in Colorado, and since me dads around I wanted to stay home."

"Doesn't your dad stay that often?" asked Lily.

"It's been the longest he's stayed at home since I was seven." Said James. "Usually he's of doing some top secret thing for queen and country."

"But you seem to have good memories of him?" said Lily.

"Yeah, I do." Said Potter. "But…I don't know. I guess I would have liked it if he stayed around a bit more."

"And here we are on the run from him." said Lily.

"Maybe I should have said when it suits." Said Potter with a slight smirk. "Like when a gorgeous red-head tricks me into her devilish schemes." Lily felt her face flush red.

"I'm not-how dare!" She blew some hair out of her face. "It was not a scheme!"

"Your idea." He said with a grin while walking on.

"And I'm not gorgeous!" Said Lily. He ruffled his hair again and turned back. He looked at her up and down.

"I stand by my statement." He turned back. "Come on, we need to get back." Lily moved her hair back behind her ear and walked up to him. She could still feel her face boiling red.

They walked out of the wood by the ballroom. They walked across the lawn to the bright lights emanating from the manor house.

"So, how did you find your first official wizarding party?" he asked.

"You were right, not really what I expected." Said Lily. "I thought that there was going to be more magic." She shrugged her shoulders. "But there we go, better than Slughorn's." he laughed as he opened the door to the ballroom and Lily walked in.

"So how do we blend in after all that?" asked Lily.

"No Idea." Said Potter. He looked over and saw the food table empty, perfect. He knocked Lily on her arm and pointed to the table.

"I can think of one thing we can do while it's quiet." He didn't wait for her answer and walked over towards the table and began to eat. Lily laughed and shook her head and walked over to the table as well.

"Who's that guy?" she pointed over to the man who was looking at the painting.

"No idea." Said James. "He seems to have been hanging around a bit."

* * *

"That was James's wasn't It." said Katherine as Alec re-joined her.

"May have been." Said Alec. "Bubbles and fireworks seems his thing. But Sirius was just as surprised as me so it might not of been him."

"Well the fireworks didn't go anywhere near the house so maybe you're right." Said Katherine sipping on some champagne.

"He was with the Evans girl last time I saw him though." Said Alec. Katherine nearly choked on her drink.

"No way." She said. Alec nodded and Katherine laughed while shaking her head.

"What is it with you Potters and red heads?" she asked seriously, "Your like moths, attracted to them."

"I don't think it was a romantic thing." Said Alec.

"Oh Alec."

"What?"

"Nothing dear." Said Katherine patting him lightly on the chest. "I'll tell you when you're older." Alec looked on confused when his attention was drawn by the tapping of glass on metal.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce your host. Mr Herbert, Bones!" The room applauded as he stood up and magically conjured platform.

"Friends." He greeted. "Another year, another fabulous party if I do say so myself." The room laughed and slowly clapped.

"In another year things have changed so much for us as a society and as a family." He said. "My beautiful daughter Amelia has joined the ministry of magic as an enforcer." He looked very uncomfortable saying it while his daughter smiled proudly. A strong athletic woman who looked slightly out of place in formal wear.

"Is she any good?" asked Katherine.

"Passed all the exams." Said Alec. "The highest since the two departments where unified. She's could well be Auror material."

"You'll be keeping an eye on her then." Alec nodded.

"My other daughter, Georgia is to be married to Mr Edgar Hamilton." There was a few ah's and clapping. A more petite woman who looked more at home was smiling and waving with a very handsome man on her arm.

"Which means that once again, out family is strong, not only in the now, but also for the future to. With the capture of Robert Murdoch." He looked over at Alec and nodded. Alec looked away though.

"So hopefully, we can all look forward to a bright future, one that can be marked with peace, rather than the old tales of war. We are hopefully at the end of a tunnel now where the light it shining on us and not just a glimmer of hope." A few people nodded their head.

A sharp ringing went around the room that made people wince and put hands over their ears. The Auror training kicked in. Alec looked around straight away to the back of the room where a man was at the back of the room, like he was about to walk out. But he laughed slightly and stopped. Alec frowned.

"Stay here, look after James." Said Alec moving to the back. Katherine held James by the shoulder.

"Where's dad going."

"Just wait here darling." Katherine could see his eyes dart over to where Lily Evans was standing with Dorcas.

"No…." He turned round and faced everyone in the room.

"How do you become…worthy?" he asked. He opened his mouth slightly to reveal fangs. "Most of you are killers." He chuckled more as Alec moved to the front of the crowd.

"You all say you want to protect the world but have no desire for it to actually change for the better." He said. "You confuse peace with quiet."

"That's the problem with you not wanting to change the world." He continued. "You don't want humans to…evolve." He stepped forward, "Are you scared that'll surpass you?" He laughed while shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, I know you mean well." He said. "But…you, all of you are the reason why this must happen."

"What must happen?" Asked Alec.

"Your extinction." He said coldly.

"What will that accomplish?" asked Alec.

He smirked.

"Peace in your time."

The windows behind him smashed as two vampires came swishing in. There was screaming as the crowd stampeded out of the hall. The two vampires where circling overhead and one of them swooped down towards the fleeing party goers.

Alec though sprang into action. He was the only person running into the crowd while everyone else ran away.

"GET OF ME!" Alec rugby tackled the vampire into the food table and punched it in the face. The vampire hissed and went to bite Alec who dodged.

"Run!" he shouted to the young party goer who scrambled to her feet and ran off. The vampire went to bite again, Alec dodged and picked up a plate with food on and smacked the vampire across the face with it. The vampire shrieked and moved back while wiping its face. When it looked back at Alec its face seemed to be melting. Alec looked down at the dish.

"Garlic." He said to himself. The vampire went for him again and Alec smacked him over the jaw again with the tray which made the vampire stagger back. It looked back at Alec and went to fly off.

"Where do you think you're going?" Alec snarled. "You didn't stay for dessert." Alec grabbed it's foot, he heaved and threw it into wall. He bent down and picked up some of the garlic shrimp from the floor and jumped over to the vampire and stuffed the shrimp down its throat. The vampire coughed and spluttered as its throat melted. Alec then stepped up and kicked its head from its shoulders. He then turned to the other one who was still terrorising people.

He was surprised to see Amelia Bones now firing curses at the other Vampire who was shrugging them off. Youthful exuberance getting in the way of reason.

Alec picked up a table leg and looked at the vampire. He then threw it like a spear across the room. It impaled the vampire through the chest and smashed into a stone pillar.

It exhaled before going limp around table leg. Alec panted and stood up fully.

"That was dramatic." Alec turned to the man who was chuckling in the middle of the room.

"Who are you?" asked Alec. He laughed slightly.

"A lot has changed in the centuries I've been away." He said. "But I was awoken. And I was promised…the world, he promised it."

"Who?" asked Alec. "What do you want?"

"He needs you weakened first." He said still ignoring Alec's questions. "So then he can pick you off. But he's already dispersing you…" He made eye contact with Alec.

"From the inside…" he said softly. He pulled down his hood.

"My name is Count Dracula." He said. Alec froze, for the first time in a long time the hairs on the back of his neck stood up on end.

"I'm here to quash the rumours of my resurrection." He said. "As you can see, there true." There were whispers around the room.

"After what you did to me last time." he said. "I'm not here to negotiate peace, I'm here to tell you to evolve, or die."

"And how do we evolve?" asked Alec.

"By joining me." He said. "My rule will come to you whether you like it or not."

"And extinction is the price." Said Alec.

"It wouldn't of been my first call." He said.

"But seeing how you all…butchered one another, in not one but two wars. It shows that humanity needs to be shepherded towards a new salvation. You all need, to be ruled. That's the only way you'll find 'peace'."

"And you're the one to do it?" asked Alec.

"Have you heard of civil war between vampires." He said. "We have one thing that you never will…unity."

"Think about it."

He held his arms up and was quickly surrounded by bats. Everyone put their arms up to defend themselves from the bites. But when they had dispersed, he was gone. Alec looked back at Parks and then back at the bodies of the two vampires who people were looking at.

Alec turned to Amelia.

"Get the enforcers down here and cordon it out." Ordered Alec. "I want to know what where dealing with, set up a war room in one of the spare rooms."

She looked a little awe struck before nodding.

"Yes sir." She tried to say confidently before striding out of the room.

"Alec, what is going on?" Asked Herbert.

"Dracula's back." Replied Alec. "Someone woke him up."

"I thought Teddy Stone dealt with him, who would be stupid enough to wake him up again?" Alec looked up at the two holes where the vampires had come steam rolling through.

"Someone did."


	20. Chapter 20

"So he's back then."

"Looks that way." Said Alec. The clean-up operation was now underway at the Bones residence. An army of house elves where busy cleaning up food and broken glass which was now the most interesting places in the wizard world.

"But he shouldn't be."

"The press have been all over it." said Bones. "Dark Lord of the undead returns and all that. Trust him to make a statement at the biggest event of the year."

Alec couldn't help but feel that Bones was more concerned that his party had been over shadowed by Dracula than the fact that he was back.

"What do you think the Auror's are going to do?" asked Bones.

"That's for something higher than me to decide." Said Alec. "But we have a bigger problem."

"And that is?"

"Dracula said that someone promised him the world when he was resurrected." Said Alec. "And that this person was already dispersing us from the inside." Alec shook his head. "I want to know who this person is."

"Isn't Dracula the main threat?" asked Bones.

"He's just a pawn." Said Alec.

 **The Marauders Proudly Present Martin Radcliffe and Alec Potter in: The Marauders Year Two**

 **Chapter Twenty**

 **Wet Work**

 **Written BY Chambers10**

"We need to be ready."

"I take it you have a plan?"

"Well-"

"Even if he does he won't be able to do it." Alec and Bones turned round and saw Gamine and Parks walking into the main hall.

"He's still on medical leave." Said Gamine with a smug smile. Alec looked down at his cane and growled slightly. "Although according to Stanford I should include you in some of the decision making process."

"Flattery doesn't suit you, Gamine." Said Alec not looking at him.

"I wasn't flattering you." said Gamine. "The main action now is that we go after Dracula now we know he's back."

"What about the person who resurrected him?" asked Alec. "What about them, they could be a problem to."

"Not as much as a man who can convert people to Vampires." Said Gamine. "He's the main threat."

"Does that mean that you're sending the Auror's out there to deal with him?" asked Alec.

"Against my better judgement, I have recommended it." said Gamine. "Even the minister believes now is the time."

"Bowing to political pressure?" Asked Alec.

"Dracula revealing himself was a shock to everyone. It…changed the rules on how we deal with a crisis like this."

"Who are you sending?" asked Alec.

"Rufus Scrimgeour." Said Parks. "He has experience in the area." Alec nodded.

"Logical." Said Alec. "I'll go after this person who woke up Dracula. There are plenty of other dormant beasts lying around that could be resurrected, we need to make sure that doesn't happen."

"That's not really a priority right now." said Gamine. "What's more important is trying to stop Dracula."

"I wasn't talking about you sending anyone." Said Alec. "I'll do it, since I'm on medical leave it's only detective work, something I happen to be very good at."

Gamine chuckled. "For a detective you don't grasp medical leave very good do you? No one is going to sanction you to go on any sort of mission Potter. Especially one that wastes valuable resources."

"I didn't know I was a valuable resource." Said Alec.

"No, if you go on a mission you need support, equipment, surveillance, it's not being sanctioned." Said Gamine. "Why are you here anyway?"

"I asked him here." Said Herbert. "I wanted his opinion on this, you know, considering he was the one who killed the vampires instead of running." Alec smiled slyly.

"I guess old bonds are still strong." Said Gamine with a somewhat forced smile. "But now this is a ministry investigation, Potter, will you please vacate the premises."

"Of course." Said Alec slowly. "Herbert, Stanford, always a pleasure. Gamine." He looked him up and down.

"Never a chore." He then limped away. The news had been the biggest story in the wizarding world for the last twenty four hours. All sort of assorted press was now gathered outside the mansion waiting for a promised statement that would never come. Since an anti-apparition charm had been set up Alec had to walk through them to apparate out.

"Mr Potter! Mr Potter, what is the ministry's position on this vampire attack?"

"Are the ministry going to send the Auror's to Romania now to solve the crisis?"

"Is there a connection between the vampires and the Sons of Salazar?"

"Are there going to be more attacks?"

"Are you going to kill Dracula?"

"I honestly don't know any of those things." He said. "Currently I'm still on medical leave and can't speak for the department, but rest assured a statement will be issued to answer all those questions." Said Alec as he walked through the crowd and then apparated away. He landed outside his house in the courtyard and walked up to the house. He slowly opened the door and kicked his shoes off and walked into his office and sat down in the chair.

He rubbed his knee and leaned back in the chair and looked at the board he had set up for He Who Must Not Be Named. There where various notes on the board along with red pieces of string that went to various pictures or more notes.

Alec frowned and massaged his leg a bit more. He was missing something, he was sure he was. Dracula coming back and this new guy making ground couldn't be a coincidence, they were interlinked somehow.

"For good sake." Katherine then walked into the office, she looked around and then glared at Alec.

"And you wonder why James is so messy when you leave your shoes at the door waiting to break somebodies neck."

"It…wasn't that untidy." Said Alec getting to his feet, really ignoring her. He walked to the board and pulled a face at it while Katherine shook her head.

"There really is no help for you is there." Said Katherine standing next to him to study the board. "What are you looking at?"

"Do you reckon Dracula has something to do with him?" asked Alec pointing at the board. Katherine walked forward and studied the connections Alec had made. She looked over all of it before frowning and taking a step back.

"I can't see how they would be." Said Katherine. "I mean, why would they? It's just places another variable in there."

"True…" Said Alec slowly, his concentration was on the board though. "But if you want to go under the radar, then you need something to distract everyone. You need to cause an explosion, snuff out the flame your making."

"What?"

"I know what I mean." Said Alec. "There's a connection there, all I have to do is find it."

"No, you're not." Said Katherine facing him. "You are going to relax and put that leg up of yours and leave it to someone else."

"Kath, it's only detective work." Said Alec.

"No, Doctor said for you to rest it for six months, last I checked you're only two month's in." she said.

"It's putting dots together." Said Alec.

"Of which you always end up going to confirm." Said Katherine. She sighed and kneeled down next to his chair. "You need to rest it, if you keep on going on it then it's going to take longer to heal."

"Fine." Said Alec. "But how am I supposed to track down leads?" Katherine smiled and kissed his hair.

"Oh Alec, you're not supposed to." She said walking out the room.

* * *

"Those where Vampires?" Lily's nose was in Dorcas's copy of Dracula Friend or Foe. "Not how I imagined them?"

"How did you?"

"You know, like Christopher Lee." Said Lily. "Not some human-bat hybrid, a…man-bat."

"Who's Christopher Lee?"

"He an actor." Lily explained. "He appeared in a famous film about Dracula." Lily smiled, it was funny really, Dorcas not knowing about muggle customs. Maybe Dorcas found her naivety of the magical world humorous.

"Well Dracula didn't look like that." Said Dorcas. "Maybe they can change at will, you know, to blend in."

"I suppose no one's going to go walking up to some huge bat like thing willingly." Said Lily as she turned the page.

 _The Valarious family haven been a sheep herding family since 1478, but have always seemed to have fallen fowl of Dracula for reasons unknown. Their herds have been found to dead or made slaves to the night. When questioned, it has always been a firm answer of confusion from the family. Never the less, they have established a successful name which led to Horace Valarious being instated as mayor of the town of Chernivtsi in the late 1880s. But repeated attacks on the town made it uninhabitable, forcing the family out and then seemingly abandoning the mayor's house to the elements._

"He's not the forgiving type." Said Lily.

"I'm sorry about what happened?" Said Dorcas flopping down on the bed. "I didn't know that Vampires where going to crash the party."

"Are you kidding me? That's awesome." Said Lily. "I've never seen a Vampire before, but, I would prefer it if they didn't come swooping down through broken windows."

"When you say it all sounds so exciting." Said Dorcas.

"Well it is!" said Lily placing the book down. "That would never happen in my world. I can't wait to tell my mum and dad." She then paused.

"Actually, maybe not." She said. "Wouldn't want them to think that I was in danger again, you know, after what happened with Murdoch and all."

"I suppose your right." Dorcas said going to her window and looking out at the gardens. "But how awesome was it seeing Alec Potter fight vampires."

"To be honest I was trying to get out human." Lily said sheepishly. "I quite like sun." Lily looked over at Dorcas. She frowned and walked to the window where Dorcas was looking out of the window. Lily walked over to her and looked out at the snow covered gardens.

"You ok?"

"Yeah." Dorcas said shaking her head, as if she had forgotten herself why she was looking outside. "Yeah, I'm good, sorry my mind just wandered."

"That's ok." Lily said looking round to see what could have captivated Dorcas's attention for so long. All that where there where some old letters.

* * *

 **December 25** **th** **1972**

"MUM! DAD! Come on it's time to open presents!" Lily tore into her parent's room and jumped on the bed.

"Oh Lily, what time is it?" John asked blearily looking over at the time. When he saw the time he flopped back onto pillow.

"Lily. It's six in the morning." Lavender said into her pillow. "Go back to your room."

"But I want to open presents!" Lily said jumping up and down on the bed. John pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Ok, ok." He said tiredly. "Why don't you go to the living room and let's get ready."

"Yay!" Lily jumped off the bed and disappeared out of the door.

"She's so your child." John said turning back over. "You told me she would get grow out of this habit."

"So she likes Christmas." Lavender said turning to face John's back. "Or would you rather she was in Scotland?" John sighed and sat up. Lavender smiled and rapped her arms round his shoulders.

"Thought so." Lavender said smiling and kissing the join of his neck and shoulder. She got out of bed and walked to the door where her dressing gown was.

"Come on!" Lily's voice echoed.

"Urgh! You said she'd grow out of this!" Petunia growled as she walked past the door. Lavender shook her head and walked down the stairs to the living room were Lily and Horatio where waiting for everyone.

"See Horatio." Lily said scratching behind his ears. "We have this nice tree where we put all out presents under." Horatio though made his way out of Lily's hands and towards the tree where his eyes where were trained on the baubles.

"I know it sounds Silly." Lily crawled over to the tree and picked out a small package. "But you get loads of presents." Lily shook the box, but Horatio was still looking at the tree baubles. "This one's for you." Lavender had slowly made her way to the kitchen with a soft smile. She stepped inside and began to put the kettle on.

"Can you at least look interested? Horatio, n-no, Horatio! No! Horatio!" Lavender walked to the living and saw Lily putting the Christmas tree back up while Horatio looked thoroughly please with himself.

"What on earth?" Lavender helped Lily put the tree back up. "What happened?"

"Horatio liked the tree again." Lily said solemnly. "And he looks very pleased with himself." They both looked at the kitten who was on his back looking up at the two of them.

"Tea?"

"Love some." Lily said placing the decorations.

"Why don't we get you some cream trouble?" Lavender scooped Horatio up and took him into the kitchen while Lily redecorated the tree. Lavender placed Horatio on the floor and got the cream out. She placed some in a saucer and placed it by the table.

"Why was Lily redecorating the tree?" John asked as he walked in. Lavender pointed at the ginger cat.

"Ah." John said. "Acting up again are we?" John leaned down and rubbed Horatio's back.

"You love him really." Lavender said.

"Come on, tree's back up!" Lily shouted. The kettle whistled and Lavender began to make the tea. John shook his head and looked at Lavender who handed him a mug. She was smiling over the rim of her mug.

"Whatcha looking at?"

"Nothing." Lavender said now looking away. She took the other three mugs into the living room. John looked at his wife with a confused look but followed her into the living room where Lily and Petunia where sorting out there presents with their mum joining in. This was the life.

"Meow."

"Oh, sorry Horatio." John stepped aside and the cat teared towards the tree. "Lily!"

"Got him!" Lily jumped across and plucked the kitten out of mid-air. "No, come on, I got you something!" Lily placed the box in front of Horatio. The cat looked up at her.

"Here." Lily opened it to reveal and ball of yarn. "I know how much you love Julia's yarn's so much. Here you go." Horatio was now padding the yarn around with his paw.

"Well someone's going to have a good Christmas." Lavender said.

"Come on, presents!" Lily shouted. Lavender shook her head kneeled by her pile. She picked up a small package and looked at the tag.

 _Dear Mum_

 _Merry Christmas_

 _Lots of Love_

 _Lily_

"What's this Lily?" Lavender picked up what looked like an eyeglass.

"It's for you!" Lily said excitedly walking round to her. "So, you know how I can see the leaky cauldron but you can't."

"Yeah."

"Well, you look through this and you can see it!" Lily said. "So you can go to Diagon Alley and go shopping."

"Oh how thoughtful." Lavender hugged her youngest. "This will be very useful to get you some new reading material."

"But there are so many different shops." Lily said. "You'll really like it."

"What's this?" Lily skipped over to her dad who was holding a book.

"It's a book on Quidditch." Lily said patting the cover of Quidditch through the ages and a muggles guide to Quidditch. "How did you know what to get me?"

"They were recommended." Lily said quickly then pecking her dad on the cheek. Lily feeling mortified at the thought that Potter helped her pick out those books.

"Well I'll give them a good read." John said looking at them. Lily of course had opened her present like a girl possessed. She had a few new records to listen to that her mum and dad had bought for her, a new Led Zeppelin album, The Who, along with a new Elton John single. But her favourite….

"You got me Dark Side of the Moon!" Lily screamed happily, running over and hugging her mum and dad.

"We thought you'd like it." Lavender said looking over John who rolled his eyes.

"I want to go listen to it now!"

"After dinner." Lavender said getting up. "Come on you, you can start helping me by peeling spuds and veg."

"But mum!"

"I let you of last year." She said. "Petunia did it last year, so it's your turn now." Lily wanted to argue.

"Go on Lily." Petunia was smiling wickedly at her sister. "You know how I like my potatoes."

"Shoved down your top." Lily muttered as she stalked into the kitchen.

"What was that Lily?"

"Nothing mum!" Lily said as she walked into the kitchen and saw what could only be described as a mountain of food to peel. Oh how she wished she could use her wand right about now.

"Hey there squirt." Marin said ruffling Lily's hair. "You ok?"

"I'm fine, your tea's ready and I have so much to tell you!" She led Martin into the living room.

"Well you're certainly keen." Martin said sitting down.

"I'm just really excited to see you." Replied Lily.

"And I am to squirt." Martin said with a smile. "It's good to see you've got over that little crush of yours you had last year." Martin said with a smirk. Lily narrowed her eyes at him. A look that was passed down my women in his family. His Emma had it, Lavender had it, and now Lily had that look to. One that could make a delinquent pause in their tracks.

"Well I'm not the person who has a history with them." Lily countered. Martin laughed and looked at his granddaughter.

"You haven't said anything about him since he came round." Lily said sitting next to her grandfather. "Do you two do have some history."

"That we do, squirt." Martin said. Lily looked to the kitchen and then around the room. She looked down into her mug.

"Tell me about him." Martin chuckled.

"You don't really want to."

"Yes, I do." Lily said imploringly. "It might make me understand them a little bit better."

"Them?" Lily shrugged.

"I can't quite figure out his son." Lily said truthfully. "Maybe if you told me about his dad, I might understand him better." Martin had to admire his grand-daughters tenacity. It reminded him of his Emma.

"Ok." He said looking back at the kitchen to make sure Lavender wasn't listening. Lily grinned and made herself comfortable.

"I was a captain back then." Martin began. "We heard that the Germans were taking by any means necessary view on winning the war, which meant dabbling in black magic from some occult in their empire."

 **December 24** **th** **1918 Northern France.**

Martin Radcliffe walked towards the stately house in northern France. The night was cold with snow falling thickly over the barricades, still fresh from its liberation. White snow falling over sandbags and barbed wire.

Martin looked up at the house, the front door was opened by low ranking officer who saluted when Martin walked up the stairs.

"At ease." Martin ordered. The man sighed and shivered against the cold.

"What's your name, son?"

"Williams, Sir, Private Williams."

"I'm here by invitation of General Lane." Martin reached into his trench coat and pulled out a piece of paper.

"The General is expecting you."

"Well, lead the way Williams." The young man nodded and welcomed him into a large entrance hall that showed bruises from the war, broken furniture and tattered paintings and mud smeared floors. Williams led Martin down a corridor with more broken furniture and more men and women in uniform walking around delivering messages.

"Here we are sir, General Lane's room." Martin opened the door, the warm light hit Martin harder than any bullet. It wasn't something he was used to after spending so much time in the trenches.

"Are you ok, Sir?" Williams asked.

"Yeah." Martin said shaking his head. "I'll be fine. Thank you." He walked into warm light to see a man sitting at a desk, the room itself was lit up by paraffin lamps. Martin walked in, the door creaking loudly as it closed. Unlike all the other rooms this one had been restored to its full glory, like the stately house Martin used to work in back home. He took off his gloves and took his scarf off.

"Martin Radcliffe." General Lane looked up from his desk. "Captain of the royal artillery and currently serving under Military Intelligence Section Six working behind enemy lines." Martin wasn't looking at the General, he was instead looking at the restored paintings around the room, wondering how much armour, tanks and men it could of cost to restore this.

"According to your superiors your one of our best and brightest." Martin looked to Lane. "Which is why I've selected you for this…unique assignment."

General Lane was and old man in his late fifties with short cut grey hair and fat exterior, it was a miracle how he ever made this far. Martin stood at the front of Lane's desk.

"Please, take a seat." Martin looked at the chair and back at Lane. He scowled and sat down.

"I don't why you look like you've got a foot up your arse Radcliffe." Lane said waving his fingers. "Most men would kill for a position like this."

"Most men are dying for it to." Martin said narrowing his eyes and the General. "I like to believe that I'd make more of a difference out there than behind a desk." Lane smirked.

"I know that Radcliffe, which is why I want you to head up this task force." Lane said. "In desperate times like this armies are not enough, we have to try and gather the combined talents of unique individuals."

"I wouldn't call myself special." Martin replied. Lane sighed and threaded his fingers together.

"I've seen some things in my time Evans." Lane said frowning. "I've seen war and death but nothing has ever made me speechless. Until now."

"Do the Germans have a new weapon?"

"There trying to get their hands on one." Said Lane, "This goes above us, but I insisted on someone I can trust on this mission."

"Why me?"

"Because I think you're the only one who can handle this."

"I'm sure there are other-"

"In a mental capacity." Lane said convincingly. "Weird shit is about to go down Evans." Martin shuffled in the chair.

"Have you ever heard of Dracula?"

"It's a novel?"

"It's real." Lane said looking down at his desk.

"Sir?"

"It's real." He repeated. "All of it. Vampires, ghouls and things that go bump in the night." Martin narrowed his eyes at the general.

"You're crazy sir." Martin said standing up. "I'm making sure a medic sees you."

"Sit down Radcliffe! That's an order!" Martin stopped.

"I knew you wouldn't believe it straight off." He said. "I want you to meet your partner on this case." The room filled with a blue light. Martin put his hands up to shield himself. When he lowered his arm there was someone else standing in the room with them.

He was tall man with wild black hair that quiffed in the middle and blue eyes that glinted with amusement and mischief. He wore a black overcoat with black military clothing and armoured boots.

Martin looked at him up and down.

"What the hell was that?"

"As I said Radcliffe. The rules are out on this one."

"Who are you?" Martin asked. "How did you get in here?"

"Meet your new partner. Radcliffe this is Alec Potter, one of our…black operation agents."

"Black Ops?" Martin looked at Alec up and down. "We've heard stories about you lot."

"You shouldn't off." Alec replied. "It this your man?"

"Alec Potter, meet Martin Radcliffe, from Military Intelligence."

"Radcliffe" Alec went to shake Martin's hand.

Martin looked down at out stretched hand. He looked up at Alec and shook it. "Potter." HE had a very firm grip. Lane cleared his throat and Martin let go.

"Well, now the pleasantries are out of the way. As we all know we are tracking the arms dealer known as Le Reux." Lane showed both men a picture of a brown haired man with a stern face.

"He's a yank, he deals with anyone who has money, he is the one responsible for the machine guns general sale. Now though, he's putting his fingers in something he barely understands."

"And that is?"

"Magic." Alec answered. Martin shook his head.

"Magic?" He looked at Lane like everyone else had gone made. "Sir, magic doesn't exist."

"I was like you and didn't think so. But this very real Radcliffe, and from here it only gets weirder." Martin shook his head.

"Sorry, I'm out." Martin went towards the door. He heard Potter tut. He ignored it and placed his hand on the door knob. But it never reached. A force filed surrounded the door and sent Martin flying back. Martin got to his feet quickly and aimed his pistol at Alec.

"What the fuck was that!"

"A message." Alec said holstering his wand. "I've asked for your best and they've given me you, either stay on side or I will find someone who will!"

"I don't respond well to threats!" Martin went to punch Alec. Alec smirked. He flipped his coat to cause a diversion, grabbed Martin's arm and flipped him over his shoulder and locked his wrist.

"Good, neither do I." Martin grunted and tried to move his hand to no avail. "Now, do I have your attention or not?" Martin looked at Lane who shrugged.

"You are to Help Potter with whatever he needs Radcliffe. Do you understand?"

"Yes Sir." Martin gritted out.

"Good." Alec let go of Martin's wrist. Martin got to his feet and brushed himself down.

"Radcliffe has been tracking the weapons trafficker known as Le Reux for months. He's been selling upgraded automatic rifles to the Germans as well as on impact bombs." General Lane explained. "But a month he ago he just vanished."

"We tracked him to Romania at an ancient magical burial ground." Alec cut in. "He was trying to his hands on a….weapon, of sort."

"What type of weapon?"

"One that could raise an entire army." Alec explained. "It was a sealed off by Black Ops over fifty years ago, designed to never be gotten hold off again."

"But it's failed."

"The person feeding his Intel knows things." Alec replied. "Things that only another wizard could possibly know, so he's one of ours. Since the two are connected we decided on a team up."

"But I know Le Reux is heading back towards Germany in a couple of days though." Said Martin. "Does he have the weapon?"

"No, he's employed a native occult to extract the weapon for him." Said Alec. "They are due to deliver the weapon to him some time in the next couple of days."

"To deliver to the Germans."

"Or maybe keep for himself." Alec mused. "My mission is to find Le Reux and question him." Martin huffed.

"Good luck, the man's a ghost, hardly anyone knows where he's going to be at any given day. We go by scraps."

"And where did you think the Intel for this came from?" Alec looked over at Martin with a smirk.

"So what's the plan?" Martin asked.

"We know that a meet is going down in a couple of days. It's going to be in a housing estate on the outskirts of Dresden. You need to go and scout it out, I need to keep an eye on Le Reux to make sure he's actually going there."

"Wait, I need to?" Martin said. "Why can't you?"

"Because I'm currently tracking him through Czechoslovakia." Alec replied. "That's how I know he'll be here. And don't worry about contacting me." He looked at Martin up and down. "I'll keep in contact with you." With a flash of blue light he was gone.

Martin looked over at Lane.

"Yeah, he's a prick that one." Lane said getting up. "Report to my head secretary, she'll give you the mission brief along with the means to get to Dresden." Oh great.

"Anything else, Sir?"

"I'd get some rest Radcliffe." Lane said getting up. "You have a long couple of days ahead of you."

Martin walked down the hall, all the things that had happened swirling in his head. Magic, monsters? This was not what he signed up for. He walked to a desk with three women around it typing and fling away papers. He only knew two of them by their first name, the other though…

Her name was Emma Clarke.

She had long blonde hair, although at this present moment it was tied up in a messy bun, he knew it was long in her private time. He figure was hugged by her army uniform, a camouflage green blouse with a black pencil skirt. She was filing away some paperwork when Martin walked up behind her.

"Always in black?" Emma turned round and promptly slapped him. The other two secretaries giggled, but one look from Emma and they went back to their work.

"Nice to see you to Clarke." Martin said rubbing his cheek.

"You have some nerve showing your face here." She said.

"I'm in the neighbourhood." Emma almost laughed in disbelief.

"For what, a couple of hours? Why am I not surprised?" Martin smirked and leaned into her ear.

"I think you know that's all I need." He whispered. Her cheeks flushed red. "I'm here to get my orders." Emma got a file and handed it to him.

"You are to leave here at 04:00 hours down to the south of France where we have sorted safe passage for you to Germany, I trust your German is good?"

"Since I've been there for the last couple of months I think I'll manage." Martin said easily.

"Is that so?" She asked.

"You would know."

She had stormed off with him rooted to the spot while rubbing his cheek. That one hurt more than the first. He laughed and walked away, he knew where she was going. It wasn't going to be hard to cut her off.

He got to the alcove before the archives before she did, he could hear her storming footsteps from down the hall. Martin peaked round and saw her stalking towards the door. He smirked all he had to do was wait.

"What theMPhhhhh!" Martin had spun her into a kiss that surprised her at first. But when she saw who it was she started to enjoy it.

"Miss me?"

"Yes." Emma said sincerely, her arms hugging Martin tightly. "For god's sake Martin I honestly didn't think you were coming back this time." She sighed and her whole body relaxed.

"I'm always happy to see you back here but…"

"But what?"

"I know that it means you're going off into conflict again." She sighed heavily. "For once I want you home and for you to stay home." Martin chuckled.

"Northern France isn't home. Not home for me anyway."

"Not here silly." Emma said round a laugh. "But we'll find it." She leaned up and kissed Martin. "We'll find home somewhere…."

For that moment, there was no war. There wasn't anything in the world that mattered or cared to either of them, just one world, one dream that kept them going.

Home.

"So, where are you going this time?" Emma asked. "Not down the med is it?"

"No such luck. Germany."

"Coast?"

"Cezcho side." Emma laughed and shook her head.

"Why do we bother?"

"It's with Black ops." Emma raised her eyebrow. "The guy I'm working with is an idiot, he's got a track on Le Reux." Martin shook his head. "Months of searching and chasing up sighting and it probably fell into his lap."

"Hey." Emma ran her hand down the side of Martins face. "Look, he needs your help to track down Le Reux. After this, it's over." Martin looked down at Emma's bright blue eyes.

"Do you fancy staying the night?" Emma laughed.

"I have to file the general's reports." Emma said pushing him away lightly. "I'll be lucky if I get any sleep before this mission."

"I'm sure one of your friends can do it." Martin said putting his palm on her waist and pulling her back to him. She called out in surprise. Her eyes lowered and smirked.

"Jane does owe me a favour." Emma said lightly, she unzipped his jacket. She then frowned and did it back up.

"What's wrong?" Emma sighed and made her way out of Martin's embrace.

"Is this going to be like last time?" Emma asked quietly. Martin bowed his head.

"I didn't want it to end like that." He said solemnly. Emma began to walk away.

"Get some sleep, we've got a big day tomorrow." Emma walked away. Martin grunted and hit himself on the head.

"Way to go Radcliffe, really smooth." He folded his arms.

"I'd say." Martin turned round and pointed his gun at Alec who was leaning against the wall. "She's really feisty, wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of her." He chuckled while Martin scowled.

"Is that how you get your kicks?" Martin asked.

"No, I prefer reds personally."

"They come in blonde to."

"The hair, not the Russian." Alec said looking away. "I want to know what sort of person my new team mate it."

"I thought you had a dossier on me."

"I do." Alec said pushing himself off the wall. "But I like to know what sort of person you are in the flesh. Your reactions, your body language." He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.

"So?" Martin squared up to him. "What do you know about me then?"

"Based on a small look." Alec smirked. "Your anger's a problem, you're worried you won't be taken seriously, you somehow think you need to prove yourself to everything and everyone."

"It's a dog eat dog world."

"True but this 'dog' over compensates by being overly aggressive." Alec Explained. "Trying to prove that he's something above, which gives him a…prickly demeanour. And more ironically makes him less likely to be accepted by his superiors." Martin let out what sounded like a grunt.

"By the way you dress and walk you're from what these people would call common stock. But you wear it with such distain, you don't come from money, and your superiors and comrades never let you forget it, hence the chip on your shoulder." Martin looked at the ground. He could feel Alec walk next to him.

"Taking anger into the battlefield with a headstrong attitude is the fastest way to get you killed." He explained. "Sure, they may have the money, but you have something that they don't."

"That is?"

"Instinct. That ability to make the right decision quickly and pull it off, not caring what anyone thinks about them." Alec looked down at him.

"I like you Radcliffe. But if that attitude gets in the way I won't save you, it's not my job to."

"What is your job exactly?"

"To get what I need and get out." Alec said walking down the hall. "Why don't you try and make up with her before you leave." His steps echoed as he walked away. Martin looked back at Alec and then the corridor Emma went down. He went down it and banged on the door he knew was Emma's. HE heard a sigh and the sound of her feet coming to the door. He smirked as she opened it, looked at him and frowned.

"What do you want?"

"I thought you were doing paperwork?" Emma scowled at him.

"I thought I'd get the early night." Emma said coolly. "It doesn't answer my question though."

"I'm sorry."

"You bloody well better be!" Scolded Emma. "We hardly get to see each other with you being sent everywhere and anywhere. And then you sneak out in the mormphhh!" Martin brought his lips down on Emma's to silence her. Emma let out a surprised a noise but submitted to it.

"You do have a way with words." She said with half a smile. She looked back to the bed and then at Martin.

"I suppose you better make yourself comfortable." She said with a flirty smile.

Martin opened his eyes and turned over in the bed he found himself in. He expected to see Emma there, but didn't. Martin looked down in confusion, it was usually him who was gone before she was could wake up. But it was almost half past three, where was she?

Martin walked outside to his car for the mission. He got in the car quickly and started it, least Emma try and stop him.

The car ride was just as boring as he thought he was going to be. The long miles of forestry and snow and random refills was doing nothing to get himself focused on the mission at hand.

Magic, monsters. Nothing in training ever prepared him for this.

He heard a muffled sound in the boot, it almost sounded like shouting. Martin pulled over. He walked to the boot and opened it. Inside was, looking very sheepish, was Emma.

"Hey, Martin." She said round a nervous laugh.

"What are you doing in there?" Martin said helping her out.

"I wanted to come on a mission with you." Emma said brushing herself down. "I'm tired of being the person that hands them to you and then congratulate you on a job well done, I want to experience the action!" Martin paced while running a hand through his hair.

"I can't believe you'd do something so stupid!" Martin said finally.

"Stupid?" Emma replied, her temper flaring. "Well sorry for trying to do something as a couple."

"Going to the beach and holding hands is couple stuff! Sneaking to go on an undercover mission behind enemy lines is not a couple's thing!"

"I can more than look after myself thank you." Emma said, sensing his real question. "You don't need to worry about me."

"But I do." Martin said angrily. "Because it's my mission, anyone else who tags along is my responsibility."

"And you don't need to worry about me, I know you're mission brief backwards. I wrote it, all you have to do is scout the estate and report back."

"And what if Le Reux's people go there as well to scout, what then?"

"Well we-"

"Or if he actually turns up himself. These are the things that don't go in the mission brief. This why I'm good at what I do, I think on my feet to get out of these situations. If I have to look after you to it will only slow me down."

"So, you're just going to leave me here?" Emma asked. The lonely German road with its tall trees and slow lying fog didn't make an appetising place to be stranded.

"I thought not." Emma said walking toward the passenger side door. "If you're so good at 'thinking on your feet' as you say, then this shouldn't be a problem." Martin shook his head as Emma got to the door and slammed it shut. He stormed to the car and got in.

"If you're doing this then you have to listen to everything I tell you." He put the car in gear and they sped off. "No witty comeback, you…you just do it. Ok?"

"Fine." Emma said looking out the window.

The rest of the journey was made in silence, Martin was too angry to speak, he just wanted to get to Dresden before nightfall, and it was late afternoon now. He just hoped that this didn't all go south. In a few hours they reached Dresden, a city that was ultimately untouched by the war. A perfect place to make a transaction like this. If this weapon was as dangerous as he was told then it was going to be big. The details where hard to distinguish in the darkness of the night. It wasn't the best circumstances but he had to make do.

"Ok, we're here." They pulled up in a new housing estate. A tall apartment building was in front of them with a new children's play area to the right of them. The whole place was was blanketed with a thick layer of snow, it gave it a more chilling feel.

"So…"

"So, now I scout the area." Martin said looking round. "You stay here and stay out of sight." Emma scowled at him.

"I didn't sneak here to just sit in a car."

"Well that's what you are going to do." Martin opening the door. "You shouldn't off tagged along."

Emma reached over him and pulled the door shut.

"I didn't want to tag along. But I had to because we hardly see each other."

"Emma, we are not having this conversation now." Martin couldn't believe her timing. But as she began to go into a rant he could hear motor's running.

Martin was only half listening to Emma. He saw a convoy emerge from the darkness. Two armoured cars in front, a van and then two more cars. This was going south.

"And another thing. When are 'we' getting serious Radcliffe?" A soldiers began to file out of the cars in a defensive stance. "I'm not content with the running around anymore."

"Be quiet."

"Don't you dare tell me to be quiet!" Emma said outraged. Martin looked to the other side and saw another Convoy from the other side.

"Emma, shut up!" He put a hand over her mouth pointed to the convoy. Emma looked over and saw the soldiers file out of the car. One of the doors opened and Le Reux came out wearing his revolutionary jacket.

"That's Le Reux." Emma hissed. She turned to Martin. "What do we do?"

Martin pushed the seat down and motioned her to do the same. "Where going to need a lot of back up." He clocked his pistol.

"I told you and your Ivan's to get here sooner." Le Reux shouted over. "Do you have what we asked for?" The weapon.

Martin looked over at the over man who got out what looked like a skull. He squinted to try and get a better look. The buyer put the skull away.

"I want some assurances first." Le Reux smirked. He looked to one of his henchmen and nodded. He started to giggle madly, he reached into the van.

"I've done my homework on this little artefact." Le Reux said. "It, is indestructible." He laughed. "Sadly for you." His men primed their guns. "You're not." The sound of gun fire smashed through the air. Martin dived over Emma to protect her from the gun fire.

The Romanians pulled out there wands and tried to set up counters spells. The bullets though were too quick for some of the wizards and they cried out as they fell to the floor. Martin afforded a look up and saw green light being thrown out of there wands towards Le Reux. One of which smashed against their car.

It seemed to go on for an age and then stopped abruptly. All Martin could hear was his and Emma's heavy breathing. Martin looked over towards the Romanians, only there leader remained standing. The gun fire stopped abruptly.

"Rocket Launcher!" Martin turned his head, one his soldiers pulled out a rocket launcher.

The man threw Le Reux what looked like a rocket launcher. He caught it and pointed is at the car. Martin looked over and saw the Romanian dive towards the car. That only meant one thing.

Martin looked back at Emma.

"MOVE!" He kicked the door of the car open, waited for her to scamper up. He looked over at Le Reux who fired he rocket. It swerved across the ground and smashed into the car, causing a huge explosion. The force of the blast sent Martin flying up into the air. All he could see around him was fire, he couldn't see Le Reux or any of the other soldiers they were ambushing.

This was it, he wasn't going to survive this. He felt something snare round his leg and pull sharply. He flew back towards one of the tall buildings and landed on the roof. He primed his pistol and looked around.

"Put that away." Martin looked up nervously. There, standing next to him was Alec Potter, his black coat billowing with the smoke of the explosion, his gaze fixed on the carnage below him.

"Please…Emma." Alec walked forward to the edge of the rooftop and crouched down.

"I'll find her." He jumped down from the top of the building. Martin blinked and got up slowly, his body aching from the explosion. He staggered to the edge of the building. Their car was on fire and a burning wreck. He turned sharply back and got to stairs leading inside and went to make his way down.

Down on the floor Emma stirred, she groaned and opened her eyes, all she could see was the fire and the black sky. Her hearing was gone, all she could hear was the muffled gun fire. She closed her eyes and her ears popped. She could hear the gun fire more clearly, what she could hear know was the sound someone being punched. She pushed herself and saw something dancing in the flames.

Alec dodged gun fire from the Germans, he evasively dodged the gunfire, elbow barged one of the Le Reux soldiers, grabbed his gun and smacked him with the base of it. One of them came at him with a bayonet above his head, ready to thrust down. Alec though turned in one swift movement and uppercut him in the stomach. He turned his head swiftly to the side at the sound a gun cocking.

Rapid fire gunfire rained down on him. Emma didn't think he'd survive, but he shouted something and a red pulse emanated from Alec which deflected all the bullets to the ground. The soldiers looked fearfully at him.

"My turn." From underneath his coat razor sharp wingdings came flying out, disarming them. Alec swept forward, he round house kicked one of them. Punched the knee of the one, he then picked up the last one and threw him into the van the German arrived in.

He walked to the van, his steps echoing with the crackle of the fames. He punched through the van and pulled out the German. He looked down at the Romanian who was trying to bargain with Alec.

Alec head butted him and he fell limply in Alec's hands, the fire roaring behind them with his coat billowing in the wind.

Emma looked at him with her head cocked, wondering if what she just saw was a dream, that she'd wake up back home with Martin and this would be nothing more than a fantasy. Alec turned towards her and dropped the Germans body on the floor. She looked away and saw the documents. Her attention was distracted by a scrapping sound on the floor.

Le Reux had picked up his gun and was slowly getting himself to his feet. He staggered towards her, his leg badly hurt and limping on it badly, but he made his way closer to her, his manic grin more noticeable in the dancing flames, along with the blood pouring down his face from various wounds. He stopped just before her and looked down at her army badge.

His grin got more manic.

"Huh, one of us just got lucky." She was too tired to fight, he picked her up by the coat jacket with his gun at her head. Emma grunted in pain but got up anyway.

"And I was thinking it was me, doll." He said, he put the gun to Emma's chin, forcing her head sideways she then went wide eyed. On the remains of their car stood Alec Potter. The Flames should of consumed him, yet they were almost welcoming him into their embrace.

Le Reux, who had seen Emma's gaze avert turned his head and saw Alec as well. His face was one of disbelief as Alec walked through the flames slowly, his steps denting the roof and bonnet of the car.

"Don't move!" Le Reux shouted. "Any closer and I'll spray her brains all over the street!" Alec stopped. He was still in the fire though, a black beacon amongst the amber inferno.

Martin broke the door down to the outside and couldn't believe the seen before him. Before thinking he dropped to one knee and pointed his pistol and Le Reux.

"Drop it!" He shouted. Le Reux didn't seem to notice him and clocked his gun. Alec though did nothing, just watching him through the flames, like he was in control of the whole situation.

"I'll kill her! I swear to god!" He shouted. Martin looked at Alec, but he seemed unwilling to make a move. He pointed the gun back at Le Reux and tried to aim, but the aftereffect of the explosion still got to him. He was seeing double, and he didn't know if he was going to hit Emma or not.

"I'll do it!" Le Reux shouted.

"I'LL DO IT!"

Before anyone knew what happened Alec sprang forward. He grabbed Le Reux's gun hand and squeezed it tight, pointing it away from Emma's head.

"No." He said with a smirk. "You won't." He pushed Le Reux down to the floor.

Martin got up and walked towards Emma and hugged her tightly. Alec frowned and started to walk away. Emma then pushed away from Martin.

"Wait!" Alec stopped and looked back.

"Where…where are you going?"

"Our business is done." Said Alec. "You have Le Reux and the German, and I have what I need."

"Y…You do?" Alec reached into his coat and pulled out the skull.

"Hopefully our paths won't cross again."

"Thank you. For saving our lives." Alec chuckled.

"It's what I do." There was a flash of blue light and he was gone. Emma was still staring at the blank space where Alec stood. Martin hobbled next to Emma and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Do you think we'll ever see him again?" Emma asked. Martin pulled her into a hug and looked up at the sky.

"I'm sure we will."

* * *

"Wow…He did that, took out all those men." Lily asked

"According to your grandmother he did." Martin said finishing his tea. He looked at Lily and smiled. "Come here." Lily shuffled closer, Martin got her into hug and kissed the top of her head.

"You remind me of her a lot you know. My Emma. She would have been so proud of you."

"Would she?" Martin nodded.

"For sure." Martin said. "I think she'd be a little jealous of you being a witch."

"I wish I knew her."

"I wish you did to." Martin said ruffling her hair.

"Granddad!"

"Whaaaaat?"

"Oi you two dinner's up!" Lavender shouted.

"You want a small look at what she was like, just look at your mum." Martin said as he led her to the kitchen.

* * *

"Come on you, UP!"

"I'm nocturnal." James said burying himself in his duvet. His mother though walked into his bedroom, turned her nose up at the mess (Just like his father) and pulled the duvet away from him.

"Merlin's sake! Why won't you let me sleep?"

"Because it's Christmas James." His mother said appalled. "It's nine o'clock and breakfast is on the table. And aren't you up early anyway?"

"I select my time the sleep." James replied into his pillow. Katherine pulled it sharply from underneath him. As he picked his head up he felt it smack into his face.

"I expect you down in five minutes, or your dad gets to come up and have a try." James quickly scrambled. The threat of his father trying to get him up was threat enough. Katherine smirked to herself as she made her way down the tinsel covered stairs to the kitchen where Alec was sat at the island table drinking his orange juice.

"I take it he's up."

"Finally."

"You should have let him sleep in." He smirked. "I remember a time when you would have done anything to make him sleep a little longer."

"How times change." Katherine said sipping her coffee. She heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She saw James flash by the door and go outside. Alec and Katherine exchanged glances and went to the window. James was stood by the grave looking down at headstone, the soft snow falling onto him. They both walked to the hallway, got their coats and shoes and joined him outside.

Katherine and Alec flanked him and put an arm around him. Katherine kissed the crown of James's head and rubbed his shoulder. She looked over at Alec who to was looking sadly at the grave.

* * *

Katherine couldn't remember the last time they had been all together for Christmas day. It was when Harriet was alive, she knew that much. James and his dad where playing mock handheld Quidditch game on the floor. She smiled and sipped on her tea.

The quiet life.

The life they'd never know…

"With the news that Dracula has returned how long is it going to be before someone saves us!" Katherine looked over her shoulder. Alec was sat in his chair with his head bowed listening.

"With what we can only assume is thousands of people dying at his hand is the ministry going to hang back and allow him to go on his murderous rampage? When are they going to do what we all know they're going to do and send Alec Potter?" James's head now turned to his dad.

"Let's face it, that's what we're always going to do?" Katherine walked over and flipped the radio off.

"Mum."

"Shush." Katherine placed a hand on James's shoulder.

"Alec…" He was still looking at the radio with the same frown he wore when he was thinking. "Al-"

"I'm fine." Alec said smiling and getting up. Katherine went to speak. "Honestly, I'm fine." He turned round to James.

"Come on, let's get some more wood for the fire." James got up and followed Alec. Katherine turned and looked down at the basket where they kept the fire wood. It was full.

The door closed, she went to the window and saw James and Alec walking in the snow toward the forest.

"You're not fine…" Katherine sighed.

* * *

Alec walked to the bookcase in the study and pulled out a book, the book only came out part way but the bookcase hissed and folded back into the wall. The bookcase hid a secret staircase that went down. Alec walked down the stairs, his steps echoing around the dark corridor as he descended into the darkness.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs he felt around for the light. When he finally found it he switched on to reveal his armoury.

Along the sides of the room were an assortment of different weapons ranging from wingdings and guns down to demon weapons that didn't belong in this realm. The last thing to light up in the middle of the room was a glass circular tube. Inside was some armour. It was sliver with V shaped indents that glowed red when the armour was applied. The size of it made it look clunky, but Alec knew that it was as light as a feather. It became skin tight on contact with the user. Another souvenir from the demon world, Gilgamesh.

He stared up at it, and it almost looked like it was staring back at him. If he was going to stop Dracula he would have to take this. It's the only thing in the world that would keep his ailing body in the fight.

It was impenetrable to all known spells and magic, but with Dracula being a demon himself, would he be able to make a dent in the armour?

Who would have thought that the fate of the world was being deliberated in this room again? The Necrofear, Murdoch, all people who had had their downfalls planned and plotted in this very room. Was Dracula about to be next?

"I thought I'd find you down here." Alec looked back at the staircase and saw Katherine walk towards him. She wrapped her arm round his middle and looked up at the armour. Alec sighed.

"It'll pass." Katherine said softly. Alec closed his eyes.

"Maybe there right, maybe I can make a difference." He looked up at the suit. It was still staring back at him "I have the technology to beat him but…"

"Alec." She brought her hand up to Alec and stroked his stubble.

"Vengeance blackens the soul Alec." She said softly. She walked to the suit of armour and placed her hand on the glass tube. She always could see right through him.

"I've always feared that you would become that you always fought against." She bowed her head and closed her eyes.

"You walk by the edge of that abyss of that every time you walk out of that door and it scares me whether not only if your body comes back, but your mind as well." She breathed and turned back to Alec.

"But you haven't fallen in yet, and I thank heaven for that."

"What do I do now?"

"What you do best." Katherine said placing a hand on his shoulder. "Find out who this man is, the one who raised Dracula."

"Where do I start?" Katherine pointed to the celling.

"Start with that Riddle." She said. "You know where to start, you never know, they just might intersect." Alec chuckled.

"Does this mean my medical leave is cancelled?" Katherine smirked.

"Mine is, when James goes back to school." She insisted. "Come on, let's go to bed." She walked to the top of the stairs and waited for him to follow. Alec walked to the stairs and looked back at Gilgamesh.

He shut the light off.

* * *

Yeah...sorry this is so late, my new job is making me put in all the hours of the day. Please enjoy and please review.

Happy Reading

Chambers


	21. Chapter 21

"Are you going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine mum." Lily said quietly. Lavender smiled and smoothed Lily's shoulders.

"You've been very good with the phone calls."

"I…I haven't felt a need to call you." Lily said quietly again.

"You don't want to go. Do you?" Lily huffed and looked away. Lavender smiled to herself. It was what Lily did when she was found out.

"It's ok Lily." Lavender said smiling, bring her youngest daughter's face to hers.

"I like it that you miss home."

"I should be over this though." Lily said. "I'm too old to be homesick."

"You'll never be too old to be over some things." Lavender said hugging Lily who hugged her back. "Just remember I'm only a phone call away."

"I love you mum."

"I love you to sweet pea." She whispered back. She kissed the crown of Lily's head. "You go and be the best witch you can be." Lily looked at her mum and smiled, she gingerly walked away towards the train where Dorcas was waiting for her.

In that moment Lavender still saw the scared little girl in Lily. She was getting there, but still had a long way to go. Lavender turned to John who placed his arm round her. Lily was now sitting in the compartment with Dorcas, laughing and joking with one another. Her gaze turned to her parents and waved. She stood up and pulled the window down.

"Bye Mum! Bye Dad!" She shouted waving her arm. Lavender waved back as the train pulled out of the station. Lily sat down on the chair and breathed out.

* * *

James was looking out the window of the common room towards the stadium. There was a light shower in the air and fog that just made the stadium seeable. James turned back and went to go for his run.

 _Who can stop the Gryffindor machine? They have suddenly become the team to beat and have overcome the two toughest tests in the race for the championship. When questioned about how his players would approach this game the Ravenclaw captain, John Adler was very wary about his team's tactics._

" _We've studied there style of play, it's very good, very modern don't get me wrong. But we've come up with a game plan that we think can beat them."_

James ran out into the mist, down towards the pitches. The wind was starting to pick up and the clouds in the distance were greyer than usual. It was going to be raining today. On que the thunder rolled in the distance. James jogged back to the castle.

 _Ravenclaw haven't always been the greatest attacking threat, true to their traits there greatest strength has always been defending. There draw against Slytherin, and loss against Hufflepuff have brought great plaudits. But how do they stop the attacking force of Gryffindor, in particular, James Potter, who's one man rampage against Hufflepuff was one of the great individual performances by a player in a generation. He's been a breath of fresh air to this almost side, a player without fear, one that will have the keys to unlock possibly the best tactically astute defence in Hogwarts._

James pulled out his Quidditch gear from under his bed and walked down towards the common room where the team had been waiting for him. The buzz around the game hadn't been at its usual levels. If anything, there was a sense of Gryffindor being the team to beat, and not the underdogs.

After breakfast they started to walk down to the pitch, the thin layer of rain was now showers that were coming down hard and thick. It was a reprieve to finally get to the changing rooms where the atmosphere was unusually quiet, no joking, and no banter. A very serious feel to a game that they should win.

James pulled his robes of and pulled his t-shirt over his head.

* * *

"You can be very distracting." Lily looked down at Horatio who was pawing away at her book.

Lily smiled and looked out the window at the crowd making their way to the stadium in the pouring rain. Lily couldn't think of anything worse.

"We don't want to go out in the rain do we?" Horatio turned back, he looked up at Lily and put his paws on Lily's chest. "But you do want cuddles." Lily scooped Horatio up and held him close to her. She rubbed behind his ears and looked out at the streams of people walking towards the stadium that was barely seeable in the rain.

"Why do you think they do it Horatio?" Lily asked. "What is it about Quidditch that gets people so rattled up?" The only answer Lily got was a purr that made her smile.

"You don't mind staying here with me do you?" Horatio didn't do anything. Lily took that as a yes.

* * *

James swept his hair back and started to get changed. The noise of the crowd was beginning to seep into the changing room.

"Beaters, aim for the tips of their brooms or body shots, when they go down, we don't want them back up feeling better. Got it."

"Yes Mike." Danielle said pulling her t-shirt on. "Aim for the body and tip."

"Good. Abbs, try and catch the snitch as quickly as possible, we don't want to toy with them like against Hufflepuff. If you see it, go for it."

"What about Mullins." Abby said.

"I know he's a dirty fucker but you can beat him. I don't know what Adler has planned but he's been pretty cocky this week, let's go out there and cane them." It wasn't a rousing pep talk, but then again the occasion didn't call for it." James put on his armour and then his trousers, boots, chest plate, arm guards.

He looked at his jersey, James smiled in the corner of his mouth and took it off the hanger and pulled it on. James took his wand out and placed a drying charm on his gloves. He banged them together and got his broom, he placed his goggles in his hair and followed his team mates out into the tunnel. He could hear the rain and the crowd above him. He jumped up and down on the spot.

"Mount."

James kicked off and hovered in the tunnel. Wood lowered his hand and then began to fly out.

The cold wind and rain hit James like nothing he'd ever experienced. He could barely see in the rain and the wind was cutting through him.

James looked to the Gryffindor end who were chanting away, but the rain and wind made it almost impossible to hear them. What he could see though was his banner fluttering in the wind.

 _James Potter: Boy Wonder!_

 **Attendance 5,245**

 **Gryffindor Vs Ravenclaw**

 **1.** M. Wood **1.** B. Holmes

 **2.** J. Drummond **2.** K. Green

 **3.** D. Davis **3.** R. Castle

 **4**. R. Williams **4.** K **.** Beckket

 **5.** P. O'Riely **5.** J. Adler

 **6.** J. Potter **6.** F. Underhill

 **7.** A. Richards **7.** H. Mullins

Madam Hooch walked into the centre of the pitch and released the snitch and bludgers. She got the quaffle out and threw it high into the air. Before Adler could react Pat stormed in and took away the quaffle and went on the attack. James on one side, Rhys on the other.

Pat threw it out to James who went in for the attack. He checked back on his right hand only for a bludgers to smack the quaffle out of his hand.

In a flash the quaffle was set upon by Kate Beckket who sped through on goal. James couldn't get back in time and she slipped the quaffle in.

0-10

James swore and got dropped deep to receive the quaffle. It surely wouldn't get any worse.

* * *

Lily sipped from her mug and looked at the rain sweeping the grounds and up to the Quidditch pitch. She looked back at the common where her book lay abandoned. Lily looked down at her feet and saw Horatio looking up at her.

"Come here, let me show you the grounds." She placed her mug on the table next to the window and scooped Horatio into her arms.

"See, there's the Quidditch pitch and the grounds. Obviously it's much nicer in the sun than the rain." Horatio placed his paw on the window.

"When you're older you can explore it a bit more, how does that sound?" Horatio squirmed. Lily rolled her eyes and placed him back on the floor.

"Can't decide can you." Lily said. She thought back to last year when Potter came back from the rain and he told her that it helped him think. She looked back at Horatio who was now snoozing on the floor by the fire.

She looked back out the window at the rain, remembering how Potter said that he thought in it to help him relax.

"I'm going out Horatio, don't wait up for me." Lily went to her room, got her rain coat and walked back to the portrait hole. She looked back at Horatio who hadn't moved from the fire.

"Don't get up." Lily Said closing the door behind her.

* * *

James hated himself sometimes. How much worse could it guess he thought to himself. Well, a hundred and seventy points behind was how bad it had gotten.

Ravenclaw where playing a counter attacking game plan. Soak up the pressure and then hit Gryffindor when they were vulnerable at the back. And it had worked, every damn time. Wood had no idea how to combat it, they tried a change in system but it only seemed to make things worse.

The only reason they hadn't lost was that Abby was playing the game of her life protecting that snitch from Mullins who had been fowling her all game. James half whished one of them caught it so this seemingly willing torture would be over with.

And as another goal went in for Ravenclaw. James swore loudly and punched his broom in frustration. He looked at where the seekers where hovering. They both suddenly went into a dive.

Abby and Mullins where head to head going for the snitch, Abby started to pull away, Mullins then pulled her back and kicked her away. Abby fell off her broom, he tried to get a hand on it but just missed and hit the floor with a sickening crunch.

James jumped off his broom onto the muddy grass. He ran over to her and skidded on the surface and went over to Abby who was withering in pain on the pitch.

"Abbs!" James skidded to his knees by her knees. "Abbs! You ok?" Abby turned round and James could see the damage. She had broken her arm, her ulna had pierced her skin and her Quidditch shirt. James lost his breath, it was like the whole world was getting closer yet zooming out at the same time. Before he knew what was happening he had been pushed away by Wood and Madam Hooch who were tending to her. Madam Pomfrey was now on the pitch.

Wood came over to the team.

"Abby's broken her arm." Woods looked back at the stretcher taking her of the stadium. "It's too badly broken to fix here so she has to go to the hospital wing." He looked around his team. "We need to re think tactics."

"Who do we put in as seeker?" Asked Danielle. "We can't win without a seeker."

"But we need to get some more points on the board first." Wood pointed out. "Even if we catch the snitch now where still not going to win." James looked up at scoreboard. 200-30, there was still time.

"We can switch Joe to a chaser."

"We've barely been able to defend as it is." Danielle said. "If we let Joe go in there then who's going to help defence?"

"We need to be more conservative with the quaffle." Wood mused. "We just need to find a seeker."

"I will." Everyone looked at James.

"You?"

"Yeah, I've played seeker before, I know what I'm looking for. And Woods right, we need to go more attacking, attack is going to be the best form of defence. They've sat back and hit us on the counter, they need to go out and attack now. Let's go and beat them!" Wood nodded.

"Joe, you go left mid, Danielle, you and me on defence. Potter, seeker." Wood looked round at his team mates.

"Great teams are defined by how they deal with adversity." He said. "We can be a great team. This is one more challenge. Let's go give the fuckers a game."

James saw the snitch, it was fluttering not so far in front of him. James kicked into gear and sped off after it. Mullins saw him go and went off after him.

It was almost impossible to see with the thick rain, but James could just make out the small flutters of the snitch's wings. He dodged under a flying broom and saw the flutter veer off to the right only for it to disappear in almost pitch black of the pitch.

The thick rain now throwing itself down made it almost impossible to see in front of it. He looked down below him and saw Gryffindor showing a little more structure on the pitch, even scoring a couple of goals in the process. If he caught the snitch now, they'd win. But seeing the snitch was almost as difficult as catching it. He thought he'd seen it a couple of times but to no avail.

But then, just by woods goal he could see the unmistakeable shimmer of wings.

James turned sharply and went off in pursuit while Mullins, who had followed him had gone wide with the turn. The snitch was now going up towards the spires of the stands. James shot up and tried to narrow the ground. The Snitch then dived down out of the ground towards the plains. James stopped and looked at it fly towards the plains.

"You've gotta be kidding me?" James looked behind him and saw Mullins coming to him. He didn't have a choice now. James sped down towards the flutter of gold that made its way towards the castle. James sped low towards the grass and was able to pull up so he was just hovering above the ground. He was swerving past a tree when he felt a barge to his side. He looked over and saw Mullins neck and neck with him.

They sped across the ground, the water from the wet grass shooting up with as they flew across the plains.

They both swerved out of the way of a tree and sped along the wet grass. The snitch took a sharp right round a tree. James took the right to. The braking charms on his broom doing the trick as he was able to effortlessly turn on the spot and go round the tree an carry on along the path.

In his vision he saw someone walking along the grounds.

Shit.

Mullins must have saw them to. He looked over at James. He must have known he'd never win the race for speed. Mullins swerved out and smashed into James. His broom shook and dipped down. With the force of the barge he was sent straight towards the bystander. The tip of his broom hit the ground sending him flying over the top.

"Move out the way!" Whoever it was scampered out of the way.

He narrowly avoided the bystander in mid-air. He though painfully hit the grass and bounced to a stop.

James groaned, that was some hit, but thankfully his armour absorbed most of the impact. He could hear the quick footsteps of someone come to his aid.

"Oh god." He knew that voice. He opened his eyes and looked up. All he saw at first was a blur, they reached down and shook him.

"Potter!" They shook him harder. "Potter, get up." James blinked and they came into focus.

"Evans?" She was looking down at him, her red hair slightly damp from the rain underneath her hood and her green eyes looking at him with concern.

"What are you doing here?" James asked sitting up abruptly. The sudden movement made Lily backtrack.

"I was going for a walk and suddenly walked into a Quidditch match." She said walking back over to him. "What happened to you?" She kneeled down again to see if he was hurt.

"Mullins." James gritted out. He turned to Lily. "How close was I to hitting you?"

"Quite close. I'm trying not to think about it." She said. James felt a surge of anger, that cheating bastard. James brushed her off and got to his feet. His gaze fixed on the stadium that was barely seeable through the rain.

"Are you sure you're ok?"

"Fine." James gritted out, his red robes fluttering in the wind, his stare fixated on the stadium before him, and the spec that was Mullins heading back.

"UP! James's broom snapped to his hand.

"Potter?" James mounted his broom. The anger flowing through him as if it was in his own blood.

"Potter!" James looked back Lily who nodded at him.

"Go get him." James mounted the broom and kicked off the ground towards the stadium. Lily looked over at the stadium and then back at the castle. She ran towards the ground.

James tore through the rain back towards the ground. All he knew was that he had to get Mullins. He didn't know where they'd gone, but if he got the stadium it would be a start. When he got to the stadium he looked over to see if Mullins had returned.

He had.

He was floating above the game, presumably losing the snitch after barging him off the broom. James floated behind him trying to see another flicker. His gaze flickered angrily towards him and then at the score board. They were still within a snitch catch of victory.

There was a flicker of gold that caught his vision. Without thinking he flew off towards it. Mullins saw it to and went off.

"Not this time." James muttered under his breath. Mullins had the head start and James was playing catch up. His broom though was able to eat up the distance so they were head to head. The snitch dived down. They swooped down towards the turf, breaking through the game at break neck speed.

The snitch pulled up, they did to. Mullins's exit was cleaner though and had James to make up the ground again.

The rain was hitting him hard in the face as he rose up towards Mullins. HE pushed his broom to the limit to try and catch up with him, he was just about there….

WHAK

Mullins's elbow connected with the side of James's head. James fell back, blood now seeping into his vision with the rain water battering him and the mud. James sped off, Mullins and the snitch in his sights. James got back head to head with Mullins who looked to his left to see James speeding alongside him. James's gaze though was ahead on the fluttering ball ahead of them. James made his move and went to fly ahead. Mullins put his arm across him to stop him. James punched Mullins in the ribs causing him to cry out. His arm pushed him back. Mullins then pulled James's broom back.

The snitch was just in front of him, put his broom was going further away. If he wanted it he'd have to jump or Mullins was going to get it.

The fall was going to hurt.

But losing would hurt more. It seemed like a lifetime to make the decision, but in reality it only took him less than second.

James jumped off the broom.

The stadium gasped in unison. James pushed off his broom with his hand outstretched.

* * *

Lily took the steps two at a time to try and get seating area. She finally got to the top and saw Potter and Mullins going for the snitch. Potter suddenly lagged behind, holding his face.

"Foul!" Lily shouted. But Potter went back for it. The two of them neck and neck for the snitch that Lily couldn't see for the life of her. Lily held her breath, fear, nerves, and anticipation all rolled into her watching the game behind her hands.

Still neck and neck, Potter jumped.

"NO!" Lily watched James swing his arm out and then fall through the air. He almost looked a cat on decent, getting ready to land on his feet. He then turned in mid-air and landed hard on the wet grass that made the whole stadium gasp and wince.

Lily breathed deeply, she reacted quickest and raced through the crowd of people to the front of her stand. She gripped the hand rail pushed herself over it to get a better view. The rain falling on her anorak the only sound filling her ears. Her attention though was entranced on Potter's seemingly lifeless body on the muddy pitch. His fist then twitched.

Lily breathed in sharply. Potter pushed himself up on his knees and shook his head. He got onto one knee and pushed himself up. The whole stadium still silent to see what had happened. Potter looked down at his fist. He gripped it more.

"Oh no." Lily whispered.

Potter then thrust his fist into the air in victory and let out a long roar. Fluttering in his grasp was the Snitch. The Gryffindor end erupted. The whole team thundering down to the Potter.

"YES!" Lily punched the air, jumping up and down, her whole body swamped with a feeling of pure joy that she had never felt before. "YES! YES! YES!" She looked back at the muddy pitch where the team where huddled, celebrating their win. That feeling of euphoria slowly subsiding away from her. She clapped her hands and turned back to walk out. She couldn't help but smile and looked around at all the other Gryffindor's who were too busy celebrating in the driving rain.

* * *

"I should be upstairs celebrating." James said.

He was in the hospital wing while Madam Pomfrey stitched the wound on the side of his head. James was looking bored out of the window at the rain lashing down on the window.

"The fact you were wondering the halls with this wound is beyond me." Madam Pomfrey rolled her eyes. "Wood said you were coming straight here."

"I only came because it wouldn't stop bleeding."

"No need to be a martyr James." Abby Richards was sitting on the bed next to him. "Just get it stitched up."

"Isn't there a spell for this sort of thing?" James asked.

"No unless you want your eye sewed up to." James smirked and looked away. "You were lucky getting a charm." He said to Abby.

"You weren't the one thrown from your broom and actually breaking a bone." Was Abby's retort. Madam Pomfrey cut the thread off and placed it back in the dish. She placed a plaster over his eye.

"Don't pick at it and report back here on Monday so I can check the stitching."

"Got it." James said jumping off the bed, wincing at the sudden movement. Madam Pomfrey narrowed her eyes at him.

"Anything else you wish to tell me about?"

"Impact Injury." James said picking up his bag. "See you on Monday." James and Abby walked out of the hospital while Madam Pomfrey shook her head.

They could hear the noise before they turned round the corner to the tower. It was almost like the sound was vibrating through the hall. James and Abby walked up to the portrait who's faced dropped.

"Nice to see you to." James said standing before the door.

"There all waiting for you both in there." The Fat lady said looking back. "It's already fever pitch, I don't want to even think what it's going to be like when you two go in."

"One way to find out." James said a little impatiently. The portrait opened Abby went in first while James closed it. When Abby walked into the main common room there was a huge cheer and a swarm of people walking towards her they hadn't noticed him yet.

When James walked in the roar was nothing that he had ever heard before, people where now coming to swarm round him, congratulating him and patting him on the back. The house hero once again.

Lily was upstairs reading her book cross legged on her bed when the already loud party went up another decibel, Potter probably came back from the pitch. Lily looked over at Horatio who was snoozing on the end of her bed.

She found herself being distracted to easily from the book with everything that was going on, she was hoping to avoid this. She reached over and scratched Horatio behind his ears.

"I'm going downstairs, are you going to be ok?" Horatio didn't move. Lily got off the bed and made her way downstairs, bypassing a girl crying on the stairs being comforted by her friends. Lily wanted to say something but gave one of the friends who clocked her a sympathetic look. She walked into the common room where her radio was being played a full blast.

Lily made her way over to the snack and drinks table, helping herself to food and walked over to Dorcas, Mary and Sarah who were talking to Potter. Lily suddenly felt the need to go back upstairs.

"Lily! There you are!" Dorcas swept over Just as Lily placed a whole brownie in her mouth and pulled her over."

"Finally got her out." Dorcas said. "Have you even got out of your room at all today?" Lily looked over at Potter who had looked away.

"I was happy staying dry." Lily said looking back at Dorcas.

"We interrupt this broadcast to bring you an important announcement." Everyone in the common room stopped dancing and looked at the radio. Lily blinked, the last time this happened it spelt trouble.

"The Sons of Salazar have stormed Malfoy Manor." The room went into a synchronised gasp. "They've kidnapped Maria Malfoy and are holding her hostage. Defence Secretary Gamine is already on the scene with the Enforcers, Captain of the Auror's Stanford Parks is already on the scene which might mean that we see the Auror's at some point although this hasn't been confirmed. But that still isn't the question on everyone's lips."

"Where is Alec Potter?"

* * *

"Hello?" Katherine smiled in confusion at the nervous looking enforcer who was standing at the door in the pouring rain. "Can I help you at all?"

"I'm here to see Alec Potter Ma'am. It's an emergency." Alec heard enough. He got to his feet and walked to the door.

"Why don't you come in?" Katherine offered.

"No time ma'am, I need to take Mr Potter right now."

"On who's orders!" Katherine asked in an annoyed tone.

"Easy Kath." Alec said limping to the door. He looked at the enforcer up and down.

"What's the emergency?" Asked Alec.

"There's been a kidnapping Sir." Katherine turned to Alec. "The Sons of Salazar have taken Maria Malfoy and are holding her Hostage at Malfoy Manor." Alec looked over at Katherine and then back at the enforcer.

"Have they issued any demands?" Alec asked, knowing this could all go south like Sally Travers.

"None as yet Sir. Captain Parks has ordered me to get you." Alec looked to Katherine.

"Go." She said.

"If you don't want me to."

"Go." Katherine said. "They need you." Alec turned to the enforcer.

"Wait there. I need to get some things."

"Of course Sir." Alec hobbled to his study and pulled the book back to his Armoury. He walked down the stone steps to the main room. He flicked the lights on and walked to the circular tube in the middle of the room. He placed his hand on it. The tube covering rose up.

Alec looked at Gilgamesh, this was an emergency, and now was the time. He touched the armour. It folded up into small circle in Alec's hand. He placed it into his pocket and went about collecting the other things he would need.

A few minutes later he reappeared by the front door where the enforcer was waiting for him. "Right, let's go." Katherine tugged on his arm. She wasn't looking up at him, a sad vacant look on her face.

"Be careful." She said finally. "Just…just be careful."

"I will." Alec kissed her on the forehead and then walked out the door.

* * *

"The details are sketchy."

"It's all happened so fast."

"Twenty people stormed the building."

"Maria Malfoy the youngest sibling."

"Has been taken hostage by the Sons of Salazar, the group responsible for the Boulevard bombing along with the brutal murder of Sally Travers."

"The Ministry say that they have the situation under control."

"They have reiterated that they don't negotiate with terrorist."

"There is no sign of Alec Potter as ye- Wait! There he is!"

Alec wanted to avoid a fanfare as he walked towards the gate. The Press where being held back by Enforcers. The walked up to the gate. Alec swiped his hand and walked through the black smoke he created, the black gate solidifying as he went past.

The Malfoy house was another stance of Pureblood family's grandeur. A three story manor house that was a brilliant white in the clear sky. But on this dark, rainy night, it was lit up by the yellow garden light charms around the immaculately kept gardens. The lights where still on in the house but there was something off about it all. He walked past a perimeter of enforcers to the tent where Parks and Gamine where having a discussion.

"So, what's the play?" Alec walked towards the command station. The rain was lashing down on the flimsy tent with the water droplets reflecting on the sirens. Gamine frowned, the tension set as the two men set it down.

"The Malfoy girl is being held on the third floor." He explained. "The Sons of Salazar have her hostage in the west wing of the house in her bedroom.

Alec walked round and studied the floor plan. He looked over at the photo of Maria Malfoy, ten years old, the signature blonde Malfoy hair, a pretty face and blue eyes.

"The whole third floor is being stripped out and being renovated." Parks Explained. "From what we can see they have men stationed on the windows as well as the stair well."

"How many do we know are up there?"

"Twenty." Gamine said looking over his shoulder. "They said unless there demands are met, she dies."

"Your enforcer said they hadn't issued any."

"They want an audience with the minister of magic." Parks explained. "Probably to discuss pureblood rule."

"Well they're going to have to make do with an audience with me." Alec said still studying the plans.

Are you really going to try that with her life on the line?" Gamine asked.

"They always say they die." Alec said closing studying the plans. "She won't."

"What makes you so sure?" Gamine asked.

"Look at the fanfare." Alec said pointing around. "If they wanted to just kill her, they would off, if they wanted to kill her for an audience, they've got one, why wait?" Gamine and Parks looked at one another. That was something they hadn't thought off.

"So what's the plan?"

"Rescue." Alec said looking down at the plans.

"And who is going to rescue her? A cripple like you." Gamine said with a shallow look. "I'd be surprised if you could get up those stairs." Alec narrowed his eyes.

"Who did you have in mind?" Gamine smiled smugly.

"I've assembled a crack team of enforcers to storm the building." Gamine said proudly. "They'll be here within the half hour."

"Right." Alec said looking round. "On tea break are they?" Gamine's nostril flared. Alec laughed.

"Watch and learn Gamine." He said walking away. "Watch and learn."

"Where is he going?" Gamine asked. Parks looked back.

"He's probably going to get that girl back." He replied untroubled. Gamine laughed. "Alec Potter is a relic gentlemen. When the enforcers are ready there going storm that place and take them one by one. The world won't need, Alec Potter!"

Alec pulled his sleeve down and looked down at Gilgamesh. Time to see if this really worked or not. He took off his boot and pulled his trouser leg up. His knee looked saw and bruised from the continuous strain being placed upon it. One more time Alec told himself…

There was always going to be a next time.

Alec took the small square and placed it on his foot. The armour spread across his body instantly Alec grunted in pain, his hand fisting into the earth. The pain was quick and blinding but the effect was almost instantaneous. His knee felt light, like it hadn't felt in years. Alec pulled his trouser leg down, reapplied his boot got to his foot. He jumped up and down on the spot, testing the armour to make sure there was no lingering pain.

Nothing. Good.

Alec walked toward the moat surrounding the property. He pulled out his sonar goggles and flipped them on.

"What have we got here?" The pulse shot out across the house. The pulse mapped out the stately house. The first floor was abandoned, as was the second, but on the third floor there was two dozen people patrolling in patterns. The Malfoy girl was being held in a room at the back of the house being guarded by three men.

Alec shut down the sonar. It was time to think tactics. There was way too many of them to take on in a head on attack, that would be suicide. Two dozen men armed with wands ready to kill anyone who came close. He couldn't be seen.

Alec ran to the moat and dived in. Gilgamesh formed around him as he swam down further into the drain pipe. He came up to a metal grate. Alec pulled out his wand. The tip glowed red and he brought it down on the metal. In no time it fell onto the drainpipe and Alec continued on to the surface point. Alec got out, water dripping from his coat. Gilgamesh, absolved into his skin. Alec touched his ear.

"Parks. It's me?"

"Alec?" He could hear Parks walking away from the commotion. "Alec, where are you?"

"I'm in the manor." Alec whispered placing the goggles back on, seeing if he had alerted anyone to his presence.

"You're in the manor!" He could hear parks pacing around. "I won't even ask." The pulse didn't show any deviation to the patrol pattern. "I count over twenty people patrolling with another three guarding her." Alec monologued.

"That's too many to take head on." Parks replied.

"In the light, yes." Alec said checking his equipment. "This is stealth. I need you to cut the power and put those floodlights on the third floor."

"What's that going to do?" Alec smirked.

"There's two dozen of them on the third floor." Alec checked his bo-staff and smirked. He brought it down swiftly and began to walk to the manor itself. "I'm going to surprise them from the second." He cut the line.

"Parks! Parks." Gamine came over to him, the rain lashing down on him. "You can't just wander of like that in the middle of this!" he bellowed. "What was so damn important?"

"It's Alec!" Parks shouted back. "He's found a way into the manor and is making his way up to them!"

"What!" Gamine strode over. "How!"

"Because it's what he's trained to do!" Parks replied. "We have a plan, where going to implement it, now!" He went to walk away put was held back by Gamine by his arm.

"NO! I'm in charge! You tell me what the plan is! For all we know it could be dangerous! It might put the Malfoy girl at risk!"

"There's no time, Gamine. Me and Alec have done this before! He knows what he's doing and I trust him!" Parks shrugged his arm free. "Stand here and see how the professional's handle it!" Parks walked over to the Enforcers.

"Cut the power!" He ordered. "And get those floodlights on the third floor!" The enforcers went about it. Gamine walked over with a look the mixed anger and helplessness, like a child who couldn't have it all his own way.

Parks looked up at the manor, his eyes squinting up at it from the rain. Slowly, all the lights began to go out. Everyone watched transfixed at what was going on, soon all the lights where off.

"Power's off sir." One of the enforcers said.

"Get those beams up on the third floor!" There was a huge clunking metal sound as the flood lights turned on. The huge beams rose up into the rainy night sky onto the dark house.

"You're on your own Alec." Parks muttered under his breath.

* * *

"What is it?" Randall Le-Strange walked into the deserted third floor were everyone was priming there wands. "Why are the lights off?" A flood light passed past the large letting the bright light in. Le Strange's gaze followed it on its run. He looked round at his Sub-ordinates.

They were dressed in all black cloaks with hoods up wearing masks that resembled snakes.

"The Powers been cut." One of them replied. "There up to something." Le Strange's brown eyes looked back at the Maria Malfoy who was looking around with fear. Le-Strange's harsh features narrowed more.

"They're trying to lure one of us out." Le Strange said. "Keep up the patrols, if anything happens, knock and she dies." Le strange pointed to one of the other men in a snake mask and pointed outside. "You stay out there to." The man nodded and walked out the small chamber as the floodlight made another pass.

"Be careful…" Le Strange looked down at the floor. "There's something odd going on here…"

* * *

Below them Alec walked onto the ground floor. The whole house was dark with the furniture of the main hall he walked into barely visible. The only light coming in was the waste light form the floodlights which lit up the rain streaked windows. Alec flipped on the Auror link.

"Parks." He whispered.

"Alec, what is it?"

"I need to know the plan for the third floor renovations. How far where they into construction?" There was a small commotion.

"Malfoy says that they had just finished building the shell for the main bedroom on the floor that was going to be for Maria."

"That's where there holding her." Alec mused. "Are there any magical barriers here I should know about?"

"They've set up a magic frequency barrier, anything not connected to a registered wand will alert them." Alec looked down at his wand. That was useless.

"Right, nothing I can't work around." Alec said. "Right, I'm going dark, see you when it's done."

"Good luck." Alec cut him off. There was a laundry shoot that ran right up the flour floors, Alec walked over the shoot and pushed the shoot door open. He looked down to the basement and then up. Alec pulled his wand out and looked at it. It was a risk. But he hadn't brought a grapple with him, and they would hear him if he walked up. Alec pointed his wand up the shoot. A Rope shot out disappeared up the shoot. When Alec heard it snatch at the top he retracted it straight away. Alec flew up past the first floor, he jumped off on the second floor. He jumped through the shoot door and somersaulted onto the floor. He rose up slowly. His leg didn't hurt. Gilgamesh was doing its job.

Alec looked up at the roof and put on the sonar goggles.

"Unauthorised wand used!" One of the snake men shouted. "Shall we kill her?"

"No." Le Strange said with a smirk. "They're coming up here to save her. Let them come, when they do, we'll defeat them, and then show off their corpses to everyone." The rest of them nodded.

"Get by the doors, kill anything that comes through." He said. He walked back into the chamber and closed the door and looked down at Maria.

"They're fools." He told her. "But you already knew that. But now the whole world will now." Outside the men readied there wands at the main staircase door leading up to the door.

Below them Alec couldn't believe his luck. He smirked, they had gathered in a semi-circle around the door. From his coat he pulled out timer bombs and set them up. He threw them up to the celling, four in a small cluster and another four around the edge.

Five seconds to breach.

Alec crouched, he closed his eyes and Gilgamesh formed around him with the mouth guard in tow that matched the style of the armour.

Two Seconds to breach.

Alec smirked.

"Boom."

BOOOOOOOOOM

The grapple blasted into the ceiling and out to the third floor. Alec jumped up through the floor onto the third floor. Everyone had scattered, scared and confused at what had happened. Alec though, when he had passed through had thrown some magic disrupters onto some of the wands.

Alec landed on a beam on the ceiling. One of them began to fire killing curses into the floor he had made. Alec activated the disrupters, there was a small explosions from the wands, causing some of them the fall to the floor. Alec pointed his wand at one of them, the lasso snared around one of their legs. Alec attached the rope to beam and jumped off the beam onto the floor, causing the man to scream as he was heaved off the floor, dangling by his ankle. Everyone turned round. The flood light passed over as Alec got to his feet. A few of them back peddled. The mouth guard formed round Alec's mouth and he sprang into action. The suit giving him the extra second advantage that he had lost recently.

He grabbed one of the Snake men with a wand that still worked and grabbed hold of his arm.

"Stupefy!" Alec shouted. The red shots fired out, Alec swivelled the man so the blasts came out in a circle. Everyone hit the deck straight away to avoid the bursts. Alec then dislocated the snake man's arm and threw him to the floor.

Alec looked up and saw another one of the snake men was aiming his wand at Alec in the middle of a curse.

"Avada-"

Alec pointed his wand and the lasso shot out again. The rope snared around the man's shoulder. Alec tugged it back sharply and the snake man came flying over.

"Stupefy!" It was a point blank range attack that knocked him straight out. His lifeless body skidding along to the floor and into the huge hole in the floor that Alec had made earlier. He swivelled and threw a wingding at a snake man who was readying his wand for an attack. The wingding smacked against his wrist that made him scream out in pain. Alec checked his back again and saw another man mid curse.

Alec swivelled kicked the body he had hung up earlier. The body flew off the line and hit the man who was mid-curse with one his companions. The room was filled with a green light that couldn't distract Alec who smacked another one's wand out of the way while another went for an attack. He brought the fist down and then sprang it back sharply into the man's face.

Alec ducked to avoid a pipe that someone had swung at him with. The pipe hit one of the other snake men. Alec sprang up quickly.

"Expelliarmus!"

The Pipe flew across the room, Alec grabbed him, placed him in an arm lock. He forced him up over his head and brought him down, smashing the snake man into the wooden floor boards. He looked up at the rest of the snake men who all took a step back while the floodlight made another round. Alec sprang forward.

Inside the chamber Maria Malfoy looked around fearfully at the commotion outside the room. Le Strange though looked slightly more scared at the sounds of his men being thrown around by one man. He looked down at the Maria who was now looked relieved.

Outside Alec Jumped through the air, avoiding two killing curses. He landed on the floor and somersaulted towards the two men. Alec swivelled kicked them to the floor. Alec got on one knee and pushed himself up with the two men and threw them across the room into the wall.

"Expelliarmus!" Alec disarmed another snake man who was about to fire a killing curse at him.

"Expelliarmus!" Alec saw his wand fly out of his hand. He looked up at a group of four who were now walking towards him. Alec slipped a magic disrupter into his hand.

"Right, old fashioned way it is." Alec muttered. He threw the disrupter along the floor. He set off a huge bang, causing their wands to let off sparks. They dropped them to the floor. They looked at Alec and pulled out knives.

"Didn't expect that."

Alec ran towards them. One of them swung for Alec with their blades. Alec ducked underneath the blade, thrusted himself upwards. Alec caught his wrist and with one sharp motion dislocated his shoulder. Alec caught the dropped knife and threw it into the shoulder of an oncoming attacker. He cried out mid run and fell to the floor.

"Stupefy!" The stunning spell sent Alec flying back, smashing into one of the walls. The Flood lights focused onto the spot where Alec had hit the wall. Alec fell down onto one knee.

"That's Impossible!" He shouted. "That should have been knocked you out!"

"Ha." Alec wiped his mouth. "You have to try better than that." Alec got to his feet, his black silhouette blinding behind the bright flood light.

"So, who wants to try that again?" The five remaining snake men took a step back. Alec shrugged. "Shame." Alec ran towards the four that where left. One of them came at Alec with a knife, Alec caught it and hyperextended his arm. Out of the corner of his eye he saw another one bringing his knife down. Alec moved the hyperextended arm in the way of the knife. The knife passed through the flesh, eliciting a sharp scream. Alec through the man to the ground, grabbed the assailant and punched him hard in the face.

Alec dodged another knife, blocked another with his elbow.

"Stupefy!" Alec saw the red sparks just in time. He moved one of the snake men into the path of the curse which sent him flying across the room. Alec turned round to see the reflective shine of a knife. He dodged, grabbed his wrist, disarmed him and brought it down into his knee. Alec let out a roar and punched hard into the floorboards.

"Stupe-!" Alec grabbed the wand and brought it down sharply and then again the other way. Alec was able to bring the wand over his shoulder, flip him over, and break his arm. Alec was then kicked him in the face. He fell to the floor and saw another knife coming down towards him. Alec blocked with his forearm. The blade skimming off Gilgamesh, Alec blocked again. He pushed himself up, kneeing his assailant in the face.

He turned to his other attacker. Alec disarmed him, winded him and then upper cutted him. Alec then rounded on the last one. The floodlight making one last move around the deserted room.

"N-no." The Snake man placed his hand out, motioning to Alec to keep away. "Stay, stay away from me!"

Alec walked slowly towards him, his steps echoing on the wooden floorboards. The floodlight passing behind him slowly as he bared down on his prey.

"No-no! NOOOOOO!"

* * *

Inside the chamber Le strange was breathing nervously while looking at the door. He heard one of his men begging for mercy. He looked at the other man in the chamber. He looked scared stiff, and Le Strange couldn't blame him, his wand fixed on the door along with his fearful eyes.

He looked down at Maria Malfoy, she looked relieved, she closed her eyes, muttering to herself that someone was here to save her. Maybe he should just kill her right now.

BANG

Everyone looked to a piece of wall that now had dust falling from a piece of masonry being pushed back. Le Strange looked up at the door and then to his henchman and nodded to it. He nodded and walked gingerly towards it, hiding halfway behind a piece of wall. They waited, waited for Alec to be brazen and stroll through the front door.

BANG

Alec smashed his way through the wall and grabbed him the henchman from behind, wrapping his bicep around his neck. He pointed his wand at Le Strange who was now standing behind Maria with his own wand by her ear.

"Drop it!" He shouted. No one moved.

"I said drop it!" he shouted. He looked at Maria and then back up at Alec whose face remained passive.

"I'll kill her!" He shouted jabbing Maria with his wand. "Believe me I'll do it!" Alec breathed out.

"Do you know what the sad thing is?" Le Strange shook his head, his features quirked in bemusement.

"I believe you." Alec fired a stunning spell that hit Le Strange in the face. The force sent him flying back through the window behind them shattering the glass. Alec choked out the henchman and walked to the window.

"Up there!" The floodlight beamed onto Alec. He put his arm to stop the glare, his coat fluttering in the rain and the wind. He turned back and walked towards Maria who was laughing softly to herself.

"Are you ok?" Alec asked as he cut her free. When he did she hugged him fiercely, crying into his shoulder, muttering that she knew someone would come for her. Alec was taken aback. He looked had never imagined himself as someone's saviour, no matter how many times he had done something like this. Alec breathed out and returned the gesture.

"It's ok." He said softly. "It's ok, you're safe." Maria hugged him tighter. Alec looked at the driving rain outside, the floodlight still on the shattered pane of glass.

"Come on." He picked her up. "We need to get you back to your family."

"He just threw a suspect out a window!" Gamine shouted. "We can't wait." He turned to the assembled enforcers.

"Storm that place, bring her out, alive!" Gamine spat. "Alec Potter, either way! Where going to show the world we don't need-"

"Look!" Everyone turned to the front door that had opened.

"Get a light on there!" Parks shouted. They moved the floodlight to the front doors that had opened fully. They waited, waited to see what had happened, what was coming through. Then, out of the darkness of the house outstepped Alec with Maria Malfoy. The surrounding crowd cheered. Maria had moved her face into Alec's shoulder to avoid the glare of the floodlight.

Alec walked through the applause to the healers who were waiting with a gurney, along with her parents. Alec lowered Maria onto it. She clutched onto his arm.

"Don't go."

"You're safe." Alec reassured her. He looked over at her parents. It was the same look the Evans's had when he saved their daughter, relief. They hugged her, kissed her, made a fuss over her. Alec looked down at the floor and then turned round to walk away.

"Potter." Alec looked over his shoulder at Abraxas Malfoy who ran a hand through his long blonde hair.

"I know we've never really seen eye to eye, but." He looked back at his Daughter who was looking back at them.

"But I'm glad you were here." He held his hand out to shake it. "Thank you." Alec looked down at it, and then slightly over his shoulder at the assembled press.

"No problem." Alec said shaking his hand. "Excuse me."

"Wait, Mr Potter!" Alec walked over towards Parks while the enforcers fought to keep them back. Under the tent to was Gamine, scowling at Alec's mere presence.

"Well done." Parks said patting Alec on the shoulder. "That was a bit nervy but I knew you'd get through."

"Well at least you did." Alec replied nodding over to Gamine. Parks smirked.

"Don't mind him, you remember it's head on the line if it all goes wrong. So, what did we learn?"

"This was an inside job." Alec said sitting on the table and folding his arms. "Someone wanted this to happen."

"A Son of Salazar working for the Malfoy's?" Gamine interjected.

"There family has been known to be in Slytherin for decades." Alec said. "I need a word with one of the henchmen." He pushed himself off the table.

"Ah, no!" Gamine said going after him. "You are still on medical leave, you are not to go anywhere near them!" Alec stopped, he smirked and turned back round.

"Sure. Threaten the guy who just took out a whole room of armed guards and got you one unharmed, alive, hostage." He looked at Gamine up and down.

"I thought not." Alec said walking back towards the house. Parks looked at Gamine.

"I'll go with him." Parks said. "Just to make sure." He too hastily followed, he caught up with Alec who was walking inside.

"You could try and not antagonise him."

"It's funnier that way." Alec said making his way up the stairs. "They're getting more brazen Stanford. Attacking a stray from the pack is one thing. But attacking a major player means they're breeding confidence. They are getting more dangerous."

"We still have no real leads on their leader, this…Riddle." Parks replied. "I've had every person shake down there sources to find out something. Do you reckon Queen might know anything?"

"She might, but with her everything comes at a price, I don't think I need to go to her just yet. Besides, I have my own lead."

"So why are we interrogating one of them?"

"To find out who got them the intel for this." Alec said as the got to the third floor where they were all tied up. Parks let out a low whistle.

"Ok, how did you do this?" Alec pulled up his coat sleeve.

"Gilgamesh?" Alec nodded.

"You should know better, bonding with demon weapons is dangerous."

"It was her life on the line, Stanford." Alec said pulling his sleeve down. "I didn't know what else to do."

"So, who do you think is a willing talker?" Alec crouched next to one of them and got his wand out. His wand squirted water into the man's face. He spluttered and coughed. He groaned and looked around him. His gaze settled on Alec and Parks.

"Oh shit."

"Oh shit is right." Alec replied. "So, there are two ways this can go down. You can, A, tell me what I want to know and you go. B….well, after what happened earlier." He presented the other men tied up around.

"Fancy a round two?"

"No, no." He said. "Ok, what do you want to know?"

 **The Marauders Proudly Present James Potter, Lily Evans, & Alec Potter in The Marauders: Year Two**

 **Chapter Twenty One**

 **Mayhem At The Manor**

 **Written by Chambers10**


	22. Chapter 22

How do you find someone who's seemingly spent a life time covering their tracks?

It's almost like they have never existed but from the moment you first heard of them and laid eyes on them. Their path seems dark and dirty, hence why they have decided to cover it up. But there is one true thing that still doesn't separate us from the animals.

Every Animal leaves tracks it cannot hide. The question is to start where you have first heard of them.

"Don't you have anything better to do than stare into my wardrobe?" asked Royce as Alec studied engraving in the wall.

"No." Replied Alec. Royce rolled his eyes and exhaled while throwing himself down on his bed while folding his arms while Alec looked at the wardrobe.

"Why are you so interested in it anyway?" he asked. "It's nothing, all the kids have them in their rooms."

"True." Said Alec. "But then again I bet they don't have pictures of lost magical civilisations dotted around their room either."

"What are they anyway?" Royce got up from his bed and looked at a poster. "I just found them and thought they were pretty neat, you know, stand apart from the crowd type thing." Alec took his head out from the wardrobe. With his cane he pointed to a poster.

"That's the sign of an Arabian terrorist group called The Council of Spiders." Said Alec he moved his cane around. "The sign of a black magic occult in Kenya. The signs of a map that only the insane can read."

"It's just a blank piece of paper though."

"How little you muggles know." Said Alec shaking his head.

"What?"

"My point is that if someone from my…organisation, found this you would be pulled in front of them so fast you wish you'd pulled off instead." Said Alec. "But the one that interests me the most, is this." He pointed to a black poster. It had a triangle on it, with circle inside it with a line down the middle of it.

"That is the sign of three potentially dangerous objects." Said Alec. "Weapons that could destroy the world." Royce raised his eyebrows.

"And?"

"This poster was used as a sign for a dangerous man called Grindewald." Said Alec. "To gather followers."

"Really?" Royce looked at the poster again. "Cool." Alec rolled his eyes this time.

"So what else was in this box?" Royce pulled it from underneath his bed and put it on his desk.

"Just those posters and a few books." Said Royce placing them on the bed. "Not sure what they mean though?" Alec picked up the first book he could see.

Tales of Beedle the Bard.

Alec picked it up and began to flick through it. It was worn. Alec turned it over and checked the edition.

5th 1923

Alec looked at some of the pages, the pages read the most would be lighter from exposure to light.

"It's a book of fairy tales." Said Royce. Alec looked up at him. "I…I used to read them when I was younger."

"It came with a bookmark." He added. He reached over to a book on his side table and picked out a photograph and handed it to Alec. It was a rock by the sea, southern England looking at the gradient of the rock.

"Was this in it?"

"Yeah." Said Royce.

"Which story?" Royce took the book and flicked through it and stopped at one and handed it over so Alec. The tale of the three brothers.

"It's one of my favourites." Said Royce. Alec snapped the book shut and placed it back on the bed. He then picked up a black book. He turned it over in his fingers and saw writing in gold letters on the bottom on the back.

This dairy is the property of Tom Marvolo Riddle.

"That name again." said Alec.

"What name?"

"Nothing." Said Alec. He opened the book and flicked through the pages, they were merely notes, scribbles, and letters that made no sense.

"I need this." He said placing it in his pocket.

"Go ahead." Said Royce.

"And the picture to." Said Alec.

"Why do you need that?" asked Royce.

"It might prove useful." Said Alec placing it in his pocket to. He looked at the door and back to Royce who was staring back at him.

"So, is this it until you come fist first in my life again?" asked Royce.

"No." said Alec. "I'll be back to talk to you, make sure that your staying out of trouble." Royce laughed.

"Good luck with that. I turn eighteen in a few months." He said, "I'll then be turfed out of this room. Adding me name to that wardrobe." He pointed to the wardrobe.

"Have you got a place to go?" asked Alec. Royce shook his head.

"I've made some inquiries but nothing concrete." He said.

"Leave it with me." Said Alec. "I'll see you're all right." Royce shook his head.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." Said Royce.

* * *

Alec walked into the office where the secretary and matron where having a cup of tea. They looked up at him.

"Oh, detective Potter." Miss Cole said with a bright smile. "I hope everything's in order."

"It is, thank you." said Alec. "I was hoping though whether you could help me with something. Another case."

"Oh, yes." she said putting her tea down.

"I was hoping that I could see a file on one of your past residents, uh, Tom Riddle." They both looked at each other with looks of contempt.

"Let me guess, that little psychopath finally killed someone didn't he." The matron said spitefully.

"No." said Alec slowly. "But, what makes you say that, if you don't mind me asking?" The matron motioned to a spare seat that Alec sat down in.

"I was only training back then." She said. "But one night this woman turned up on our door step, ragged thing but was going into labour. Anyway, she gave birth to Tom, I think she said her name was… Meryl?"

"No it was something stranger." Said Miss Cole. "I remember my mum telling me." She thought for a moment. "I think it was Merope."

"Yeah, Merope, very odd name." The matron said. "She insisted that the baby was named Tom after his father, and that she hope he looked like him."

"She also wanted a strange middle name to." Said Miss Cole. "My mum thought it was a circus name, Mardolo?"

"Marvolo." Corrected Alec.

"Yeah." Said The Matron slowly. "How did you know that?"

"It's in his file." Alec lied easily. "Please, continue."

"Anyway, she died a few hours later." Said the Matron. "We thought that with such odd names that she was circus folk and that they'd come and find her and the boy but, no one came."

"What where his early years like?" asked Alec. "Was he, well liked?" The Matron scoffed.

"I've never known a boy to be so universally disliked." The Matron said. "He always had this insufferableness about him. Like he was the smartest child in the room, that meant he felt the back of my hand a few times."

"He caused trouble then?"

"He always seemed to invite It." said the Matron. "He would steal things and place them in his room which made the other children upset. And then, bad things would happen to them. He hung one poor boys rabbit from the rafters."

"And there was that case in Cornwall." Said Mrs Cole.

"Oh, yeah…that." The Matron went stony faced.

"What happened?" asked Alec. The Matron cleared her throat."

"We take the children to the sea side every couple of years." She said. "Every child deserves some happiness by the seaside, wouldn't you agree Detective?"

"Certainly." Alec said quickly to try and progress the story further.

"Anyway, one year Tom lured two of the more kind hearted children, ones that always thought that the best in people should always be looked for rather than the dark. Well, Tom certainly manipulated that."

"What did he do?"

"…He led them to a cave." She said. "He made them…" she paused. Trying to regain some composure.

"He made them to unspeakable acts to one another Detective, things that children should not know off until they are older in my eyes. And other things that my mind cannot possibly comprehend."

"What where their names?" asked Alec.

"Dennis Bishop and Amy Benson." The Matron said. "I'll never forget them."

"Did they get past it?" asked Alec.

"Thankfully. Yes." she said. "But while they should have been enjoying there teenage years they were being treated to return to normal. To make matters worse, Tom went off to some swanky private school on a scholarship." She laughed sardonically.

"I've had my faith tested over the years Detective, believe me." She said. "But none more so when we found out that he was going to have a top class education while those two poor kids were fighting for their sanity." She shook her head.

"But now, there married to each other, Dennis is a top level engineer, Amy a housewife, nice house, couple of kids. Not bad all things considered."

"Couldn't you move him?" asked Alec.

"Detective, this is last chance saloon." Miss Cole said. "All the kids here no one else wants. We couldn't get rid of anyone even if we wanted to."

"You were saying about him going to school on a scholarship. When did that happen?" he asked.

"When he was eleven." Said Miss Cole. "1938, I remember my mother saying she was talking to this well-spoken man who wanted to know about Tom."

"Dumbledore." Whispered Alec.

"What was that?" "

"Nothing." Said Alec. "Please, go on."

"He was only here then for six weeks of the year." The Matron said. "I've never seen the children so happy."

"What happened after he left?" asked Alec. The Matron shrugged her shoulders.

"Nothing." She said. "I half expected him to burn this place down he hated it so much, he was gone the day after he came back from school. No one's ever heard of him since." Alec nodded.

"Do you mind if I take his file. Just in case I have to return for it."

"Of course Detective." Miss Cole got up from her seat and went to the file cabinet.

"Make sure that you see he gets what coming to him." said The Matron. "There's a red mark against him that should be looked at."

* * *

You start by looking at the stories that have sprung up in their wake.

Alec's shadow moved up against the road sign. He looked down the road of immaculate houses with their stone walls and thatched roofs, Wiltshire, hell of a place to live after that dingy orphanage. Alec hobbled down the street towards one of the houses that Mr and Mrs Bishop lived in. Number 12.

Alec stopped outside. A well-trimmed front lawn along with a kissing gate leading to a wooden front door with hanging baskets either side of it. In the autumn sun, it actually looked quite nice. It was nice they had found love in such a hopeless place.

Alec knocked on the door. There was a commotion in the house and then a woman opened the door. She had smile lines on her face, put it gave her an endearing feature that looked like she wanted to light up everyone in the room.

"Oh, hello, can I help you?" she asked.

"Are you Amy Bishop?" She smiled and looked up confused at him.

"Yes."

"I'm Detective Alec Potter with Scotland Yard." Alec pulled out the badge and showing it to her. She peered at it and then smiled so more.

"So you are, how can I help you detective?" Alec was about to answer but there was a scream. He went to get his wand out but then he saw a small child with black hair run behind Amy, laughing and smiling while being chased by and older man who he could only assume was her husband. He looked back and saw her looking at his hand in the inside of his coat.

"Sorry." Said Alec.

"Oh no don't apologise." She said. "I grew up in London, any sound can mean danger. Grandkids hey, little terrors."

"That they are." Said Alec taking his hand off his wand slowly.

"I was hoping to talk to you and your husband about an incident that happened a few years ago."

"Oh, oh ok." She said, her smile slowly disappearing.

"I hate to bother you on such a nice day but it is urgent, is there anywhere we can?"

"Oh yes. I'll just get Dennis to get Harriet to play outside. Please, do come in." Alec shook his head from a momentary shock and followed her inside the house. It was clean and tidy with very rustic furniture and lots of flowers in vases.

"Please take a seat in the living room." she said. Alec went right through the door into the living room. There were two leather chairs facing a wireless with a leather sofa facing a T.V. Alec walked to an oak bookcase and browsed the titles, mainly Dickens and electronic brooks, with a couple of books on travelling around the world.

He then walked to a drinks cabinet which had pictures on there of their large and happy family. Two boys with toothy grins at varies stages of their lives along with them as adults with their own children. One of them with the small raven hair child Alec saw earlier.

"Ah. Detective…"

"Potter." Said Alec turning round. "I appreciate you two taking the time to talk to me."

"Oh, nothing's too much for the local police." Dennis said with a grin to match his wife's. Alec smiled.

"I was just admiring your family." He said.

"Ah, well, it gets bigger all the time." said Dennis walking to the pictures.

"There out Boys John and Daniel." He said, "And our grandchildren, five of them so far with another on the way."

"Congratulations." Said Alec. "Like the big family?"

"I would have had more." Said Amy, "But, urgh…problems stopped me."

"We grew up in orphanage see Detective." Said Dennis. "And we always wanted our kids to know there family." Alec nodded.

"Actually, that's part of the reason I'm here." Said Alec. Both of them froze.

"I'm investigating an individual that was living at the orphanage at the time." said Alec. "Tom Riddle." Something in there faces changed, from happy and cheerful to stony faced, old memories that had stayed repressed now coming to the surface. Amy instantly went into the arms of her husband.

"I'm sorry to wreck your day with such bad news." Said Alec. "But I was hoping whether you could answer my questions for me." They both looked at each other.

"No detective, I'm sorry but I think you should leave." Said Dennis.

"No." said Amy.

"Amy, we can't."

"No, think about." Said Amy. "We have been running from this for too long. We need to face it."

"But dear." She shushed her husband.

"Is he going to jail?" Her voice now with a venom he never knew she had. Though he felt bad about the situation, he had to lie to them.

"Yes, we need a statement please." Said Alec. "I promise I'll be as quick as I can, and no harm will come to either of you, this will be the last time you have to live this again." Amy nodded and looked at her husband.

"We've lived in fear of him for too long." She said. "It's time to step into the light." She turned to Alec.

"What would you like to know detective." Alec motioned her to sit and her husband did to.

"I just want you to relax, tell me as much or as little as you want." Said Alec. He walked to the mantelpiece above the fire. He pulled out a small capsule, he cracked it and placed it behind the clock. Inside contained a gas that made people more open to persuasion and telling the truth, a special blend potion of his own design.

"I want to know about Tim when he was younger." Said Alec. "What can you tell me?" Dennis looked up at the celling and then to Alec.

"He was very strange." He said thoughtfully.

"In what way?" asked Alec.

"He made strange things happen." Said Amy. "He would be able to…move things with a mere thought."

"And make animals do strange things." Said Dennis. "Almost like he could…talk to them, understand them. I know it sounds stupid."

"Not at all." Said Alec.

"He was just so mean." Said Amy. "I mean, spiteful for spites sake. Making the younger children cry because they were, well where were we were. In a place like that, we all need each other. None of our families wanted us, so we have to make our own family. But he just couldn't understand that."

"He had an affinity with snakes." Said Dennis. "He liked, talking to them, when we went to the zoo he was always in the reptile house, talking to them like they would talk back."

"And you two talked to him." They both look at each other.

"Even though he was, pardon my French a little bastard, we both thought that he shouldn't be excluded at that would just push him further away from everyone. "We wanted him to join in, have fun with us, sure it wasn't a perfect way to grow up but we all had to make do. We tried to be civil and at one point we thought we were making a break through with him."

"Then what happened?"

"We used to go on holiday to this village in Cornwall." Said Amy. "It was by the sea, get the kids out of the city and have fresh air once in a while." She wiped her eyes. "We were rock pooling with Tom when he suggested that was go into a cave." She gripped her husband's hand.

"I don't know how he did It." she said, tears coming down her face, but he made us to do…unspeakable things." She burst into tears. Alec looked to Dennis who wasn't showing any emotion at all.

"I was so upset afterward." She said. "I just kept on thinking it was my fault, that we could of done something different, maybe of been nicer to him…."

"We did nothing wrong." Said Dennis, "It was him, all him. I'm sorry detective. It's still a sore subject. Brings back memories you know." Alec nodded.

"I was told you went to a psychiatric home." Said Alec. "How long where you there for?"

"A couple of years." Said Dennis he chuckled. "But I remember coming out and going home to find out that Tom was now going to some posh boarding school on a scholarship." He shook his head.

"Good things always do happen to bad people."

"Not necessarily." Said Alec.

"But we got on with our lives, made something of ourselves, I was so happy to see the back of him and London it felt like a giant weight had been lifted." Said Dennis. "We but it all behind us and move on. No doubt it's something you'll have to do one day." Alec looked down at his feet.

"Have you heard from him at all, since you left?" Amy shook her head.

"I spoke to him before he left." She said. "He said he was going to search for his family, he'd been able to track an uncle or something, said his name was…Gaunt?" Alec frowned and looked up.

"Did you just say, Gaunt?" Asked Alec, not quite believing it himself. Amy nodded.

"I remember." She said. "As clear as day, because I told him that he was going to hell for all the things he's done over the years. And thankfully I've never seen him again."

"Thank you for your time Mr and Mrs Bishop." Said Alec turning back round and swiping the capsule from the side. "I'm sorry for having this chat but it was necessary."

Alec closed the door and hobbled through the gate and out into the road. Gaunt, surely she couldn't have meant Morfin Gaunt.

He was a man who was found guilty of murdering a whole generation of Muggles using the killing curse. It was a case that Alec worked on years and years ago, when he first became an Auror. He remembered because his mentor Teddy Stone said that Murders like that where hardly ever that clear cut and should be grateful for it.

Maybe he was right after all these years. Alec walked back through the village with dusk now settling over the church and houses. Men were walking towards the pub while Alec went through the finer points of his plan in his head. He found a side alley and apparated away from view.

* * *

 **Little Hangleton.**

Alec walked into what seemed like another picturesque English village, while the one in Wiltshire was a postcard village, this one seemed a little darker. Alec thought it had something to do with the large foreboding house on the top of the village, almost looking down at everything and everyone.

It had been almost forty years since Alec had been here last. The brutal murder of the Riddles, the family that owned the large house in the village had been brought to his attention after the occupants had been killed with the omega curse. It was a closed case as they were able to link Morfin Gaunt to the murders. But now, Alec wasn't so sure.

He walked through the village where people seemed to be going about their daily lives as normal. Alec reached the gates to the property and put his hand on it and gave it a small shake. The sound of the rusted chains and equally rusted padlock meant that this placed hadn't been looked after in a long time.

"You ok there sir?" Alec turned to see a man outside what looked like an old blacksmiths shop. He was in his mid-fifties but had been looking after himself, his thick beard gave him a younger complexion.

"Yeah, I was just looking at the house." Alec said, trying to keep a low profile.

"That's the old Riddle place." The man said taking an axe out of cover and placing some wood on a stump for chopping.

"They were murdered a few years ago."

"So I heard, some bloke named Gaunt wasn't it." Alec said running his hands down the metal pole of the gate, the paint work peeling off as he did.

"Aye, that's the one." He said prepping his axe.

"Did you know the Gaunts?" asked Alec, the woods man laughed and brought the axe down on the log.

"I was a youngen, by aye, I remember." Alec turned round and walked towards the man.

"Used to live in a rundown shack on the outskirts of the old Riddle estate." He said knocking the cut wood away and placing a new log on. "There we three of them, the old man, Marvolo I think his name was, along with his son, the one that did them murdering, and a girl to. Name escapes me."

"Merope." Said Alec.

"Aye, that's the one." He brought axe down again hard.

"What was their relationship to the Riddles, besides being there murders." asked Alec.

"The old man Marvolo used to be the gardener for them." the axe man explained.

"Did they ever make themselves known to other villagers?" asked Alec. "Where they liked by the local community?" The axe man hit the wood out of the way and placed a new log there.

"They kept themselves to themselves." He said prepping the axe. "I mean, sometimes there were rumours about them doing strange things around the house. And, well…other things to."

"Like?" The axe came down.

"Let's just say the father and brother enjoyed the sisters company in a way that shouldn't be enjoyed." He placed another log down on the stump. "As I said, they were strange in retrospect."

"What about the people they worked for, the Riddles." Said Alec. "What where they like?"

"Heh." He brought the axe down. "Biggest bunch of tossers I've ever known."

"Not well liked then?" asked Alec.

"They were aristocracy wannabes." He said. "They treated the town's folk like they were, below them somehow, even though this money they came into was very new. Acted like Lord of the manor, but they were no lords."

"How did they make their Money?"

"The old man, Thomas Riddle was a lawyer. He had big plans for his son. Wanted to marry him off into some manor house." The axe came down hard.

"What was he like?"

"Obnoxious little shit that one." The axe man said preparing his log again. "He would ride around on that bloody horse of his, kicking up fields and all that, and a real prat. Always rode his horse with some lady from over the other side of the valley. Lady…Crawley. She wasn't much better to be honest."

"I can imagine." Said Alec. "What happened to them, the house seems abandoned?" He pointed up to the house which covered in ivy.

"It is." The axe man said. "They were murdered by that Morfin Gaunt. Confessed to the whole thing."

"Aren't there any heirs?" asked Alec.

"There were rumours, and I mean they are only rumours mind you, of there being a Tom Riddle junior."

"Who was the mother?"

"They said it was Merope Gaunt." He said bringing the axe down. "A really strange thing happened, that Tom Riddle ran away from here, with her."

"With Merope?" said Alec surprised.

"That's what we all thought. The Lawyers son running away with the tramps daughter. She wasn't a looker mind you, so maybe it was her personality. Though she didn't have one to speak off really."

"What did Marvolo and Morfin think of it?" asked Alec.

"They weren't around." The man said. "They were thrown in prison for attacking him a few years previously, of course his father played it up big time in court and they were sent down. By the time the brother got out, Merope and Tom where gone. He was livid mind you, said that she had stolen jewellery from them. Not that I blame her. After all that abuse she suffered at their hands, maybe she deserved a happy ending."

"How long was she gone for?" asked Alec. The axe came down hard.

"She never came back." Said the axeman. "He did a couple of years later, tail between his legs, sprouting some shit about being brainwashed by her or something."

"How did the old man take it?" The axeman shook his head.

"Not well." He said. "Lady Crawley had been married off to a lord of whoever, and because he had married a tramp he was seen as tainted, his dad of course tried to get it annulled, but, since they consummated the marriage, there was nothing they could do." Alec nodded and looked back up at the house.

"Not a real shame if you ask me." He added. "The place has been abandoned since they were murdered, some heir hunters tried to track down a so called illegitimate son, but found nothing." Alec nodded, he was on the right rack at least. So this Tom Riddle was the son between Merope Gaunt and Tom Riddle, making him Tom Riddle junior.

"Why where you looking at this again?" asked the axeman.

"Newspaper article." Said Alec. "Thanks you for your time." The man nodded and went back to chopping wood. Alec walked up further to the church to see the graves. He opened the door of the gate into the cemetery and walked inside.

It seemed weird thought Alec. Why would someone have the Grimm Reaper on their grave? An angel he could understand, but the symbol of death himself seemed a little too much. Too passive aggressive, why remind people of death in a place where they came to celebrate life.

And yet on the grave of Tom Riddle senior he saw the looming figure of death with his scythe hanging over people who dared to get to near, just as Alec was doing.

 _Here Lies Tom Riddle. 1908-1943_

 _Tragically Taken From Us_

Alec saw that some of the grave had been kicked in, presumably by some angry town's people, he remembered them not being that popular from his initial investigation. Alec pulled out a note pad from his early days as an Auror and looked through the notes. He stopped by one that described the body.

A look of terror and fear across his face, muscles frozen into place by way of the Omega curse (Killing Curse)

Alec had found it strange at the time, and still did now. What would have made him so scared that he would be frightened in death?

Maybe…

Maybe a son who came to see who his father was, a man who he probably idolised from an early age, only to find out that he wasn't what he expected to be. But how could a boy have the capability to kill his father.

Alec pulled out the notebook and flicked through the notes to check the dates.

Summer 1943

That would make Tom Riddle Junior sixteen at the time of their deaths. It fit in with what Dennis and Amy has said, but the jewellery that she stole, what became of that? The Gaunts where once a very wealthy and influential family, how did there fortune and power lead them to a small house in Little Hangleton, and a connection the Riddle family?

He needed to find out what Jewellery she stole. The only person who would know that would be Marvolo, but he was dead now. What jewellery did she have worth having, or more to the point, worth selling? She would have been broke, they both would off, they would have needed money. Alec smirked.

There was only one place in the magical world that dealt with things like that.

* * *

Knockturn Alley.

Even though it was in the high rise area of magic alleys, there was one shop that was the symbol of a darker time, when Grindewald was main man walking down these streets. It dealt with all matter of dark objects, bought and sold, collected and pawned. Alec found it to be very useful from time to time, but…the owner.

The owner wasn't so keen on him, mainly because he always put him in an arm lock. Well, if he would withhold information.

Alec stopped at the window and peered inside. It was empty, good. Less people to see what was going to happen now. Alec walked into the shop. A bell dinged as he walked into the shop.

It was dark, the sunlight from the outside blocked by numerous cages and masks in the windows and sky lights, the dust coming of objects magnified in the little light there was.

"Coming now, just be a mom…ent." Hector Borgin's eyes fell on Alec. He was a short man wearing a penguin suit with a bald head.

"No, No, NO!"

"Hello Hector." Said Alec grabbing him by the collar of his suit jacket. "Mind if I have a word?"

"Get away from me!" he shouted, he shrugged the jacket off and waddled off into the back room. Alec walked towards the door and pulled it. It was locked. He sighed and pulled out his wand.

"Why do they always run?" he asked himself. He blasted the door off the hinges where the fat man squeaked and began to run off.

"I just want a chat, Borgin." Said Alec, Borgin pulled some merchandising from the shelves onto the floor. Alec though just stepped over them.

"I need your grubby expert opinion on something." Borgin tried to open a door to the next room but couldn't. He looked back at Alec fearfully and tried to kick it open. He kicked the bottom panels out and tried to crawl through the narrow space, but because of his bulk he couldn't.

"Excellent, you're free." Said Alec. He grabbed him by the legs and pulled him out across the floor. Alec picked him up and carried him into the main shop.

"I have nothing to say to you Potter!" he spat, while failing his arms and legs. "You can't do anything to me, you hear me, nothing, my lawyer will hear of this!"

"Sure he will." Said Alec throwing him into a chair that was behind the desk.

"How's business, good?" asked Alec looking around and then looking down at Borgin.

"I, have, nothing! To say to you!" said Borgin. "You're suspended!"

"Got acquitted." Said Alec.

"Err? You're on medical leave?" he said hopefully. Alec pulled a thoughtful face for effect and shook his head.

"So, how's business?" asked Alec again.

"Please, whatever you want, just take it!"

"I only need information today." Said Alec folding his arms across his chest. "What do you know about Merope Gaunt?" Borgin looked back confused.

"Did you say Gaunt?"

"Yes, Gaunt." Said Alec. "What do you know about them, any of them?" Borgin looked down.

"I haven't heard that name in decades." He said. "I thought they were all broke."

"They were." Said Alec. "But the daughter, Merope ran away with a man and pawned off some of her family's jewellery. I'm guessing that since she wasn't very bright, she would of come to you and your partner to pawn it off for some money. I just want to know what she sold."

"I, I can see what I have in the files." Said Borgin.

"Excellent." Said Alec. The two men stared at each other.

"Well come on, quick march!" said Alec loudly. Borgin scuttled off his chair and waddled over to some big black books on the side of the wall. Each one had the date inscribed on them.

"What year would they of come in?"

"Try 1937." Said Alec. Borgin pulled out a book and heaved it back over to the counter and opened it. He flicked through the section on 1940 and started to look through the section on 41. As he was searching Alec walked round the shop.

"Oh, here it is." Said Borgin. "Alec walked round behind him and looked down at the list of transactions. In the sharp reading, her transfer was there.

September 15th 1937

Merope Gaunt trades in old family silver, 2nd goblin dynasty, made by Highfather, signature on bottom on Items which include:

8 Sliver plates

8 Quarter plates

8 Casserole dishes.

3 candle holders.

8 knives

8 forks.

Price paid for items: 30 Galleons.

"Really, that's all you gave her." said Alec disgusted. "That's almost worth hundred times that amount.

"She didn't know any better." Said Borgin. "Not very smart that one, she was a Gaunt, the result of generations of inbreeding to keep their blood line pure."

Alec looked down the list again, surely Morfin wouldn't be hung up over some silver. There must have been something else.

Also, one locket, Gold, 2nd Goblin Dynasty inscribed with serpentine 'S'.

Price paid for items: 10 Galleons

"A serpentine S?"

"Ah, yes, I remember this one." he said with a greedy look in his eye. "Yes, a very fine specimen. A very nice locket."

"Serpentine?" It was more to himself than to Borgin. He walked away while tapping his finger on his cheek. He had a brainwave. He turned round and walked over to the book shelf and began to look through the titles.

"Hey! You can't touch those!"

"Shut up." Alec replied coldly as picked one out and placed it on the counter and flicked the pages. He stopped at a page which showed numerous family trees. On the top read.

Most Noble Wizarding Families: 900-1900

All the old wizarding names where there. The Blacks, the Bones, the Peverlls, the Malfoys, Le-Strange. But there were also older names that had now died out. Namely, the Hogwarts founders. Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw.

A serpentine S would belong to Salazar Slytherin, it was logical. The small buzz was gathering in his stomach, the feeling of putting a case together, when all the hard work, fact and stories all wrap up into the final result.

Alec's finger raced down the family tree, and then, in 1745.

Gertrude Slytherin – Mertalin Gaunt.

Alec's finger followed down the tree till he got to Marvolo and Mary Gaunt. And their two children, Morfin, and Merope.

No wonder Morfin was angry, Merope had stolen Slytherin's locket and pawned it off. Then that would Tom Riddle Junior a direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin…

Something switched on inside Alec's head, something that Murdoch had told him at his last meeting with him. That these Sons of Salazar where working under the orders of the heir of Slytherin, the one that was killing O'Leary's men. The one Murdoch warned was taking over.

"Have you found something?" asked Borgin.

"Yes." said Alec. "What happened to that Locket?"

"We sold it."

"At an inflated price." Said Alec shutting the book.

"Were a business." Said Borgin, "We make our money fairly. Not all of us have the privilege of being the son of a wealthy family." Alec couldn't argue there, he placed the book back and walked back over to the counter.

"Who did you sell the locket to?" Borgin's eyes went wide he looked around, to see if he could escape, but saw that it was useless. Alec banged his hands on the counter.

"Who, did you sell the locket to?"

Borgin closed his eyes, sweat now coming down his bald head. He was scared of something, something to do with this locket.

"Hepzibah. H-Hepzibah Smith." He croaked out. Alec knew that name, her family had asked him to track down her killer. The house elf had confessed to the whole thing, but the family thought otherwise, they said that there was foul play. Alec didn't believe them, even when they did offer him a stupid amount of money to investigate. But as Borgin had pointed out, he didn't need money, so didn't.

"We-we didn't kill her!" he squeaked.

"I believe you." said Alec. "You're a business, killing your clientele is bad for business, right?" Borgin went to speak but then stopped.

"How long ago did you sell it?" asked Alec.

"A few weeks after we bought It." said Borgin. "She came in and couldn't believe her luck, wanted to have all the Hogwarts Founders heirlooms and found one in here." Alec frowned in confusion.

"Who was she a descendant off?" asked Alec.

"You just had to the bloody tapestry out." Said Borgin, "Didn't you see?" Alec narrowed his eyes at Borgin.

"Hufflepuff." He squeaked. "Helga Hufflepuff." Alec nodded.

"Thanks Borgin." He said, "You've been very helpful." Alec turned and walked out of the shop, slamming the door as he left.

Alec was deep in thought as he walked through Knockturn alley. The scores of young witches and wizards along with older witches shopping. A lot of things where praying on his mind, more so what Murdoch told him about the Sons of Salazar.

He needed to find that locket. Which of her descendants did she give the locket and the cup to? Maybe they had the locket. So for that, he would have to go to the magical archives in the ministry.

* * *

"Ministry Archives." Alec stepped out of the lift into the huge room. The ministry archives had very bit of magical information from the year 1000. Every book ever written with magic on it, every magical document that's gone through the ministry, anything to do with Magic ended up here. A huge underground library that went for miles in Alec's opinion.

You walked out onto a balcony so you could see it in all its entirety. Forty large book cases that came up to the ceiling of the room. The room was bathed in green light that made it look like an old dungeon, the light reflecting off the brickwork to spread down the bookcases.

Alec walked to the left and down the metal stairs to the floor which was almost five stories high. Alec finally made it to the bottom and looked up at the high roof, the room itself was seven stories high.

All he had to do now was find the archiver who knew everything in here.

"Cognio!" Alec shouted. His footsteps echoed, almost like he was the only person in the room.

"Cognio!" A bookcase ladder came hurtling round the corner. A small old man with thick jam jar glasses looked down at Alec.

"Are you supposed to be out and about?" he asked getting down. He only came up to Alec's thighs, but he was one of the smartest men Alec knew, he knew every little bit of information inside here, but he knew where everything was.

"I haven't had the paper work through for your return to the field."

"I'm doing bit of private work." Said Alec smiling. "Not like the old days when I used to come and research here."

"I miss those days." Said Cognio. "These new Auror's don't come down here to do their own research, they just expect me to do it." He groaned and held his back.

"At this rate I'm going to have to get an assistant."

"Like anyone will be able to keep up with you." said Alec.

"Heh, still have flattery Potter." He said. "So, what can I do for you?"

"I need to find a will." Said Alec. "Specifically, the will of Hepzibah Smith." Cognio raised a big bushy eyebrow.

"The will?" he asked again, checking that he heard it correctly.

"Yeah." Said Alec, his hand messing up his hair. The little man narrowed his eyes at Alec. It seemed to take an age before he said.

"Oh come on then." He said. "I suppose you need it for a good reason." Alec breathed out in relief. He climbed up the ladder and went to bush himself off but Alec stopped him.

"Let me." He said. "Where abouts are we heading?"

"Tenth row, second column." Said Cognio quietly. Alec prepped the ladder and then threw it. The ladder hurdled off down the bookcase and Alec jogged to keep up, he came to the tenth row and walked to where the ladder was standing.

"Smith, smith, smith. Here we go." Cognio pulled out a thick folder and handed it to Alec.

"Quite a thick one there, what are you looking for?"

"Maybe nothing." Said Alec.

"I swear those are the only words out of your mouth." Said Cognio. "And yet you always find something."

"I just have a habit." Said Alec looking at the front of the folder. "Thanks, where are you heading off to next?"

"Back to the end." Said Cognio, "I'm going home." Alec Grabbed the ladder and again, and threw it.

"Cheers kiddo, don't forget to but that back." He said as his hand brushed a lever that made him career to the right. Alec walked past a table and down to the furthest corner of the archive.

Back when he was a recruit he used to come down here to do research because he just didn't want to go home. It seemed like a little brother he had once lost. In a way he had. Alec found the desk.

An old desk with a desk lamp, one where Teddy used to find him researching.

"Don't you have a home to go home to?" he would ask.

"I'm busy." Was always Alec reply.

"Doing what? Doesn't daddy give you a house to do this in?" Alec remembered smashing the ink pot and turning on his mentor.

"Because 'mummy' thinks I don't deserve it. But I don't need them anyway. I'm going to make it all on my own." Alec shook his head.

So long ago.

He sat down and pointed his wand at the light which stuttered into life. Alec opened the folder and began.

The last will and testament of the deceased Hepzibah Smith.

Alec made himself more comfortable. It was going to be a long night.

8 hours later

"It's like old times, except I can't get Ted down here to drag you out." Said Cognio. Alec heard his footsteps coming from a mile away.

"The more things change." Said Alec.

"I know, scary." Said Cognio. "Did you find what you were looking for?" Alec ran his hands through his hair.

"No." said Alec. "Have these ever been, you know, altered?"

"My files have never been tampered with Alec Potter!" he said in a lofty tone, "Nothing ever gets removed from here." He frowned. "What are you looking through that old will for anyway?"

"I'm looking for Helga Hufflepuffs Cup." Said Alec. "And Salazar Slytherin's locket. I know she had them in her possession before she died, but I've read through his thing three times and do you know what I've found?"

"No, what?"

"Nothing." Said Alec. "No mention of any cups or lockets expect in generalisation, but the will states that there was a special vault that items of great significance where kept. All are accounted for, except for those two items."

"So what do you think happened?" asked Cognio.

"I think she was murdered." Said Alec.

"She was, by her house elf, though she was acquitted." Said Cognio.

"No." said Alec getting to his feet. "I think someone else did. A house elf wouldn't steal and then wait to be caught, they would run, anyone would run." Alec grabbed his coat. "I'm going to see this house elf. She's at St Mungo's. Thanks for the folder Cognio, I'll see you soon." He went to run away.

"Ahem." Alec turned and Cognio pointed to the mess that had been left.

"Ah…"

"Go." He said smirking, "I'll tidy up, only this once mind you."

"Thanks." See you soon!" and Alec ran, Cognio laughed and went over to the table.

"The more things change the more they stay the same indeed." He said.

 **The Marauders Proudly Present Alec Potter in The Marauders: Year Two**

 **Chapter Twenty Two**

 **The Trail**

 **Written By Chambers10**


	23. Chapter 23

**10 Downing Street**

James Heath was flipping through the newspapers, they mostly focused on the impending mind games between the Americans and the Russians. The ones that weren't where focusing on the crisis in Romania and how the world leaders where doing sweet fuck all to stop it. When where those lefties going to learn that there was a lot more pressing matters than a few starving people being ruled a despot that didn't cause him any trouble.

There was a knock on the door, Heath looked up. His secretary had poked her head round the door. Heath sighed tiredly and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Yes Miss Melbourne?"

"The papers with your meeting with Mr Rodgers are typed up and ready sir." She said. "I've also make that reservation at the Dorchester for tomorrow evening. Is there anything else I can do for you?" Heath smiled warmly.

"No. No thank you Miss Melbourne, you may leave." Miss Melbourne smiled to and went to walk away. Heath looked out the window.

"Miss Melbourne." The secretary poked her head back round.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Has my shipment of Dalmore arrived?"

"It's in your cabinet Sir." She replied. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Yes, thank you." She closed the door.

Heath got up and walked to the grand oak cabinet in his office and pulled a door open. Inside was a decanter with a dark brown liquid filled to the brim. Heath smiled and took the crystal top of and poured out a large drink into a decanter. He closed the cabinet, drink in hand and walked to the window that overlooked Westminster.

He took a large sip from his decanter and leaned against the window. The world's going to shit in more ways than one and here he was with the weight of the world on his shoulders to try and fix it.

"Too many of those are bad for you Prime Minister." Heath turned round suddenly to see the intruder.

"Oh, Tim, It's just you." Heath said. "What brings you here at this time?" He looked over at the cabinet.

"Can I interest you?" He asked shaking his decanter. "Dalmore, 1923, Been her since Churchill."

"As appealing as it sounds James, I'll have to pass." Tim said walking gently walking into the room. "I come on a matter of grave importance." Heath sighed and went to look out the window.

"You know there are thousands of people who want to become Prime Minister. They think that all I do is sit behind a desk and make people's life a misery." He laughed. "It's one job where no one thinks you're doing a good one. I wish I was like you in a way. Operating from the shadows." Tim sat down in chair that was partly in the shadows, the pattern from the window reflected on his face.

"There must always be a public face, James." Tim said crossing his legs and intertwining his fingers. "It's a thankless job but there are those who can carry the burden."

"I'm guessing this importance is from your world." Heath said turning to face Tim. "You don't do these social visits otherwise."

Tim opened his briefcase and pulled out some photographs. He held them out for heath who took them.

"Earlier today Dracula attacked Beauchest." Heath sighed heavily.

"You said he wouldn't be so brazen." He replied dangerously. "You said you would handle it!" He tapped his foot rapidly on the floor while Tim sat quietly. "How many?"

"That's not –"

"It is for me because I'm the one who has to face the shit storm tomorrow!" He shouted. "How, many!"

Tim sighed and looked to the side.

"Nearly nine thousand."

"Shit." Heath stared out of the window into the distance. He tapped the tumbler with his fingers and looked down into the dark liquid.

"This special ops department, the Ogres."

"Auror's."

"Whatever." Heath said venomously. "Why haven't they dealt with him yet?"

"The secretary of wizarding defence affairs doesn't believe they are needed at the moment." Tim explained calmly. Heath turned to face Tim.

"I think it's got past that now." He said. "I run this country, all of it." He walked towards Tim. "Even you lot. That minister for magic is just that, a minister so when I tell you that I want your special ops team to deal with this I want it dealt with, covered up, not ignored! Done!" He stared down at him.

"I now have to come up with some speech saying that the Romanian government attacks its own citizens."

"It's worked so far."

"We can only keep a secret like this for so long, the media is starting to pressure us into intervening, even my own cabinet." He sighed and looked around.

"Who have we got out there at the moment dealing with this?"

"An Auror called Rufus Scrimgeour."

"What are his credentials?" Heath asked.

"He was a former vampire hunter in Romania, he knows the area very well and we think he'll be the most effective person in the field." Heath nodded.

"What about that asset we have? Your brother. He's the one everyone goes to with these type problems isn't it?"

"Internal politics, the Defence secretary doesn't approve of him for this situation. And before you order his involvement, he's on medical leave."

"Why?"

"Stopped a bombing in America." Tim replied. "But he's on the trial of something interesting, I think it's more prudent if we let him finish his work there before asking him to deal with Dracula."

"What is he working on?" Heath asked.

"I'm not sure. It's hard to tell with my brother, though, we aren't the talkative sort."

"Bet that makes for some awkward Christmas Dinners."

"Quite." Tim said with an awkward smile.

"I want him on this as soon as possible then." Heath said.

"I want this dealt with Timothy." Heath continued pointing at Tim. "If it isn't, I don't care how long you've been part of the furniture you'll be out. Understood!"

"Yes Prime Minister." Tim said getting up and going to walk away. He strode across the room and placed his hand on the handle.

"What's the contingency Tim?" Tim frowned and looked back at Heath who was staring out on London. He looked down at his glass and swirled the last mouthful of scotch.

"Sir?"

"What's the contingency with your brother, when he retires? What's going to happen? Who's going to take over doing what he does?" Tim closed the door of the office and turned back.

"It's not something I've not considered before."

"It should." Heath said. "I don't like saying this but he's a lynchpin in our national security. Anything like this vampire crisis, Cuba, V-Day and D-Day. He's been around for as long as I can remember, what if one day he isn't there? Who have we got that can do these things?" Tim thought for a second.

"My brother is a special asset sir."

"I know that, but he's getting older, slower. Time comes to us all Timothy, he'll have to retire eventually, or more likely, someone will finally be able to kill him." Heath downed to rest of his drink.

"Do you think we should be looking for a replacement?" Tim asked.

"….It's something I think we should consider." Heath said. "The thought of a world without Alec Potter or an Alec Potter type person is unacceptable. The world is too dangerous at the moment for it not to be an option." Heath placed the glass on the nearby desk and looked out on the city. His tired reflection looking back at him on the backdrop of the city.

"It's time we create a new one."

 **The Marauders Proudly Present James Potter in The Marauders: Year Two**

 **Chapter Twenty Three**

 **Le Stranger Things**

 **Written by Chambers10**

 _Fatal Vampire Attack on Beauchest. Is Dracula on the War Path?_

 _When Dracula announced himself at the Bones Christmas Party at Christmas we weren't sure what sort of game he would play when it came to attacking humans. The old treaty that had stood since his last disappearance was one to two people a month has seemingly disintegrated with his resurgence._

 _Just before dusk, what people are describing as a bat cloud descended on Beauchest. The attack, swift, the force, brutal, the aftermath, devastating._

 _Nearly ten thousand people have perished in this latest onslaught, no conversions, although some consider it a fate worse than death. The bodies of the innocents littered the streets and gutters are filled with blood. Vampires attacking from every angle, the few that are left are not taking a life goes on attitude, not this time._

 _There is anger amongst these people, they are demanding more from the government about the vampires, demonstrations have taken place in the capital, people demanding that more is done, more done that the outside world will help._

 _The muggle media has been told that massacre is the government's crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations which they have lapped up. The head of the Ministerul of Magic has given an angry interview to all sources including one at our own Daily Prophet._

" _It's Bulls****!" He raged._

" _We've begged the Ministry and the Institute for help but all they have sent us are these shitty enforcers and one Auror to deal with over fifty thousand vampires daily. And now that Dracula has returned they should want to get rid of him! They don't care because it's 'Only Romania' they'll only care when it's on their doorstep!"_

 _Hard to disagree. We can't even use the excuse that Alec Potter is injured after his rescue of Maria Malfoy. Maybe the time is right, maybe a pre-emptive strike is what we need before Dracula destroys all of Europe._

Lily took a large gulp of tea and folded the newspaper down. Her mum had written in her last letter about the Romanian crisis. It was fascinating seeing the two sides of the crisis.

"There he is." Lily looked up from her tea. Her friends were looking over at the Slytherin table. She joined in with looking over their shoulders.

"His dads incarcerated for the Malfoy kidnap."

"You'd thought he'd be in hiding?"

"Are you kidding, he loves all the attention. Thinks he's the dark lord ascending."

Lily looked over at a fourth year Slytherin boy who was smirking while getting all the attention from the Slytherin table. His dad was one of the men captured in the raid and he was milking it. Saying how his dad was a hero and how he was going to get off. Lily wasn't so confident, it didn't make it sit easier that Bellatrix was fawning over him like some love sick puppy.

"Bellatrix seems to think so." Lily mused going back to her newspaper.

"He looks weird though." Marlene said. "I mean he's got bug eyes, why would anybody find that attractive?"

"They think he's a dark wizard in waiting." Dorcas said tutting. "Idiots."

As much attention had been placed on Potter as well as Le Strange in the last week. His dad had been the one who caught Le Strange and the school had built up a sort of rivalry between the two of them. Potter had been unusually quiet about the whole thing, maybe his dad told him not to draw to much attention to himself.

Le Strange on the other hand had done everything short of calling out Potter for a duel. Lily glanced over to where Potter was sitting. He was eating without a care in the world with his friends while ruffling his hair.

Lily frowned slightly. If he ruffled it the other side it would look quite nice.

She gathered her things and walked with her friends to Professor Helsing's Class. They walked in and Lily sat down next to Guy and got her things out.

"You ok Lily?" he asked. He sounded very nervous, Lily didn't know why.

"I'm good thanks. Are you alright, you sound a nervous."

"Me? No I'm fine." He said nervously. "Why wouldn't I be fine?" Lily raised her eyebrow, a soft smile on her lips.

"If you say so." Lily replied. "Did you finish the homework?"

"Urgh…yeah! Yeah I did." He routed through his bag and pulled out his homework and handed it over to Lily who blinked.

"Why are you handing it to me?" Guy then frowned to himself.

"I…uhm…don't know." He went red and gathered it back. Lily giggled to herself and pushed him gently on the arm.

"You big dope." She said laughing. "Hand it into Helsing, I'm sure you've done great."

"Well I did have some help. My friend Elisha." He pointed over to a blonde haired girl who tossed a stray piece of hair from her face.

"She's nice." Lily said. "She's quite smart as well from what I hear."

The door from the office banged open. Helsing walked out of his office and walked down the spiral staircase to the front of the class where the blackboard filled with notes on Dracula's Fortress and previous hide outs.

"Alright everyone settle down, he have a lot to learn to learn today." He said. "We'll carry on with our work on Dracula's defences."

"Now, it was told that up and his fortress Dracula was known to conceal his treasured possessions in a fistic material that would burn anyone on touching. Today we are going to learn about these possessions."

* * *

Lily pulled her cloak around her more as she walked up to the owlrey. The sharp wind blowing down the spiral staircase with her letter in hand. She blew out some air, the air smoking up in front of her.

"Well what do you think?" Lily stopped, it was a male voice. There was no reply from the person he was talking to. Odd thought Lily.

"He keeps telling me not to rise up to the bait but he doesn't know how much I want to put that smug prick in his place." He was then quiet, like he was talking to someone. Lily continued to walk up the tower.

"Yeah, yeah I know it's for the best." Lily walked into the owlrey and saw Potter sitting on one of the benches with his owl perched next to him.

The owlrey was one of the four towers in Hogwarts. Gryffindor being one, the astronomy tower and the head masters, and heads quarters. The Owlrey was a large circular room with a pillar in the centre with benches and desks dotted around the room. The Light was let in by long thin windows like the ones in the common room. At the moment it as a bright grey light that lit up the upper rafters. The dark wooden beams went up in a spiral motion round the central pillar in the room where the numerous owls in all colours and sizes roosted above them.

Lily took a step forward but Potter's owl turned its head a hundred and eighty degrees in one swift moment and clocked Lily who let out a small shriek. Potter turned round and saw her trying to calm herself down while his owl stared at her.

"Evans?" He said with a smirk. "What are you doing here?"

"I…" She moved some hair behind her ear. "I came to send a letter." She said. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I just came to talk to Dante." Potter said stroking the owl underneath its chin.

"I'm sorry, I…I didn't mean to disturb you."

"Nah, it's ok." He said. "We were just having a nice catch up, weren't we Dante." The black owl then flew off into the rafters where the other owls where roosting. James pulled a face, Lily looked down and smirked.

"He didn't have much to say anyway." He looked round at Lily who was looking at the owls on the beams.

"So, who are you sending a letter to?" He asked pointing to Lily's hand where the letter to her mother was held.

"Just a letter to my mum." She said walking past Potter to one of the desk. She rang the bell and one of the owls came swopping down from the rafters and landed on the desk Lily was at.

"What are you doing here? Sending a letter back home to?"

"Ha, my mum wishes." Replied Potter. "I don't speak to her half as much as you speak to yours."

"You only have one mum." Lily said. "Besides she wants to know everything that happens to me while I'm here." He shrugged.

"My mum's already been here so I don't know why she would want to know what I'm doing."

"Maybe she wants to see it from your eyes." Lily said attaching her letter to a snowy white owl. She stroked the owl who hooted happily and rubbed against Lily's fingers. She watched at is flapped its wings impressively and flew up to the rafters and out the opening at the top of the tower.

"I never thought of it like that." Lily turned back to walk out and smiled at him.

"I think you should talk to her instead of your owl." She looked up at the black owl who wasn't paying any attention to them. "You might get a bit more of a response." She walked down the stairs. She heard him get to his feet as she walked down.

* * *

"Go on Potter, finish it!" James grabbed the quaffle and threw it through the hoop. Before he could admire his work another quaffle came over. James Sped towards it and headed it into the hoop.

"Ok, let's stop there." Wood shouted. James floated down onto the ground were Wood de-charmed to quaffle launcher and walked over towards him.

"Ok everyone, good training, we have another week of training which we'll focus on passing drills and then we have our second Slytherin game. We gave them a good hiding so they'll be out for revenge. So we need to be ready." The team nodded.

"Hit the showers, see you all on Thursday." The team walked back to the changing room, laughing and joking with one another. They walked into the changing room and James started to take of his armour.

"So…Potter, so you have any plans for later?" James took of his t-shirt and turned round to see Abby.

"Oh, me and the guys were going to do something." James said. "But I'll see you at training on Thursday."

"Oh…ok." Abby said crest fallen. "Yeah I'll…see you Thursday." She walked to the other side of the changing room and disappeared to the girls showers.

Danielle looked up and shook her head at James.

"You know, she liked the fact you went to see her after she broke her collar bone." James turned to Danielle who took off her chest guard.

"I just thought she would want some company." James replied. "It can be a very lonely place in there." Danielle laughed.

"You are so sweet and naïve it melts my heart." Danielle said with a smile. "You'll kick yourself one day." James frowned in confusion and took his stuff into the shower room.

After he was done he was drying his hair and walked back into the changing room where Danielle was waiting for him.

"Abby's waiting outside for you." She said flicking her hair over the collar of her coat.

"Why?" James asked.

"I think she wants to you to walk her back to the castle."

"Why?"

"Just, do it James." Danielle said placing a hand on his shoulders. "You never know, if you even pretend to have fun, you might even have a little by accident." Danielle swung her bag over her shoulder and walked out of the changing room where Wood was waiting for her.

James shrugged. He could at least walk her back if she wanted him to. James gathered his things and walked outside where Abby was waiting. She was moving back and forth on the balls on her feet with her cloak fluttering in the wind along with her blonde hair.

"You didn't need to wait for me." James said swinging his bag over his shoulder. Abby looked down at her feet.

"I didn't like the fact that you always walk back alone." She said picking up her own bag. "I thought you might like some company."

To be honest I wouldn't James thought to himself. She reminded him to much of Leanne. They walked back up to the castle, chatting idly about Quidditch and the upcoming game, the only thing they agreed on was that Ravenclaw was always going to be the real grudge match for the two of them.

Abby then stopped.

"What is it?" James asked.

"Maybe we should go around…" James then saw what she was trying to steer him away from. Le Strange was there with the rest of the Slytherin's.

"Why would I want to go another way?" James asked, his gaze still ahead.

"I didn't think you'd want to see him, in case things get awkward, you know." James breathed out.

"I'm not afraid of him, he'd be an idiot to do something here."

"Still…" She was afraid something might happen.

"Come on, let's go round." Abby led them away, but James afforded one look back. It was time to show Le Strange that not only was his dad better than his dad, he was better as well.

* * *

James was in a corridor checking the contents of his bag. He looked round the corner of the corridor and saw Le Strange walking with his group of friends. James turned back and did one last check. He looked up and saw Sirius, Remus and Peter coming toward him.

"What is he planning?" Remus asked.

"Who cares, so long as it's fun." Sirius said.

"Ok, where here, what do you want to do?" Sirius asked. James opened his bag and gave each Sirius, Remus and Peter a package.

"What are these?"

"Don't worry about that."

"Are you sure?"

James looked round the corner of the hallway, Le Strange was coming towards him, great. James mentally tweaked the finer details of his prank in his head.

"What are you up to James?" James looked round the corner and placed a finger to his lips.

"He's been strutting round like a prick for a week now." James opened his bag and pulled out his cloak and some bungie cord. Remus looked round the corner and saw Le Strange. His face dropped.

"James, you can't be serious?"

"Deadly."

"Why, who's the target." Sirius looked round the corner and saw Le Strange.

"Yes! Oh this is going to be great."

"No, not great." Remus reiterated. "James, do you really think that your dad would want you antagonising the son of the guy he's just incarcerated."

"People seem to think that I'm scared of that, of him." James said, a fierce determination on his face, his features hardened, something he only really saved when he was about to play Quidditch.

"I can't talk you out of this can I?"

"No." James replied.

"You three just be ready with those." James said pointing to the packages. "Sirius, you first, Remus, Pete, you follow up. Got it."

"Yeah, but what are we waiting for?" Sirius asked, James pulled the cloak over himself.

"You'll know when you see it." He pulled the cloak down and ran off. Sirius looked back to Remus and Peter.

"Guess we wait for the signal." Sirius said folding his arms.

James snuck up towards Le Strange. He enchanted the end of the bungie cord and snuck up behind him and clipped it to one of the belt looping's.

"Extendio graphnite." James smirked and snuck back towards the top of the hallway. He quickly shed the cloak and stuffed it into his bad. His sudden appearance worked as one of the girls Le Strange was with noticed him. She smirked to herself and whispered to Le Strange, her eyes flickered over towards James. He looked over at James.

"Ah…Potter." He said with a small smirk. "Fancy see seeing you walking around." James shrugged.

"I was just sending my dad an owl, you know, because he can read one without someone poking round his arsehole first."

Remus had to stifle a laugh while Sirius put his face in his hands. Le Strange shook his head slightly in disbelief.

"What did you say?"

"Well that's what they do to prisoners in Azkaban, cavity charms." James taunted. Le Strange broke from the crowd and walked toward him.

"My dad's innocent Potter." Le Strange said in a low and dangerous voice.

"Really?" James said amused. "Because that's not what my dad told me." Le Strange almost growled and strode over towards James, his face contorting more with anger with each step.

"Someone ort to put you in your place you little shit!"

"Yeah, but not you. Extracto!"

"What?"

The bungie cord snapped back to the floor, the next step Le Strange took made his trousers tear clean off his body. Sirius, Remus and Pete all looked at each other.

"Guess this is the signal." Sirius rushed forward and threw his package at Le Strange, as soon as it hit Le Strange ait exploded into black sludge. Before Le Strange could react he was hit by Remus and Peter with the feather bombs. By the time Le Strange looked up he didn't know what hit him.

He looked back down the hallway and saw James looking round the corner, he gave Le Strange the thumbs up and disappeared around the corner.

"POTTER!"

The four of them ran through the corridors laughing, finally the stopped in an abandoned corridor. The four of them keeling over from laughing so hard. They sat down on the floor with their backs up against the wall, there feet not touching each other.

"You should have seen his face." James said between laughs. "He didn't know what hit him."

"What was that stuff?"

"Zonko's black sludge." James explained. "Incredibly sticky and even harder to get off. Along with some burn tip feathers. He's going to have a few painful showers."

"So's his dad."

The four of them started laughing again. James then stopped but he was still smiling.

"What is it?" Remus asked. James groaned.

"My Dad is going to kill me when he finds out." James sighed. "Worth it though to see the look on his face."

"One of our better ones." Sirius mused.

"I'm glad you think so boys." The boys all turned to see Professor Slughorn with arms folded. "I've just heard that Mr Le Strange was attacked earlier, apparently says that your four were responsible."

"I don't were you get your information sir but you are mistaken." James said while Sirius and Peter sniggered and Remus rolled his eyes.

"I don't think so Potter." Slughorn replied. "All of you, my office, wait until professor McGonagall hears of this."

"I'm shaking." James muttered under his breath as he pushed himself up from the floor.

* * *

"This bites, I mean why the hell do I have to go?" James said angrily. "You lot get detentions and I have to go to a bloody Slug club meeting."

"Sure, why don't you clean out potion cauldrons by hand?" Remus said darkly.

"First warning Remus." James said still fiddling with her tie. "Urgh I hate this tie!" James shouted into the mirror. "Why does Slughorn want me to come?"

"Duh, you're Alec Potters son, you know, Auror who's saved the world over a thousand times." Sirius interjected. "He wants to think that he and your dad are pally in some way."

"I'd rather scrub pots with you guys." James said. "It was my idea and I'm getting off scot free."

"Don't need to tell us that." Said Peter.

"Fuck it, this'll do." James said smoothing out his tie. "I'll make it up to your guys."

"Sure mate, enjoy your party." Sirius said as he walked out.

James quickly made his way through the common, so no one could see him and into the hallway towards the dungeon. James tugged on the collar of his dress robes. He remembered why he hated wearing this, it was so uncomfortable. His heeled shoes echoed around the deserted hallway, the half-moon light lighting up the deserted corridors.

James muttered to himself about how unfair this was when he knocked on the door of Slughorn's office door.

"Ah, Mr Potter, come in." James walked into the office. He was impressed that Slughorn had been able to clean up the green slime they'd let off last year. Slughorn walked around to his desk, behind him was a circular alcove that went up beyond the ceiling that was filled with books to the right was the potion store and on the left was more books along with green comfy looking high back chairs and tables with matching carpet. The whole room had greenish glow to it that James hated and when Slughorn sat behind his desk, it made James want to cover it in slime all over again.

"Now Mr Potter, I don't want you to see this as some sort of punishment."

"But this is my punishment." James said stone faced. "My friends are scrubbing pots tonight while I'm going to this."

"Yes…well, some of us get the rub of the green."

Usually the Slytherin's in your case thought James.

"Now, I can't keep an eye on you all night, which is why I've appointed you a chaperon." James frowned slightly.

"Why would I need a chaperon?" He asked. Slughorn raised his eyebrow.

"Good point."

He hoped it was Alice Griffiths, he liked Alice. She always came to these things, she was kind, smart, witty, and beautiful to look at. He could at least have a laugh with her, it wouldn't so bad.

"So who's it going be?"

"Well I wanted someone who I knew you respected, someone you could also converse with and someone who could keep you on a leash." Alice, definitely Alice. There was a knock on the door.

"Excellent, that should be them now."

Slughorn got up and walked to the door and opened it.

"Excellent. You got my message." James looked back and saw Evans walk into the room. James closed his eyes and grimaced. Why, why did it have to be her?

"Hello Professor." She said brightly. "What did you want to see me about?" James could feel her eyes boring into the back of his head.

"Miss Evans I was hoping to you could do a little favour for me." Slughorn said with a smile. "As you know Mr Potter has his detention tonight."

"He looks a little dressed up for cleaning cauldrons." She remarked. James smiled to himself.

"Well actually he's spending the night at my party, I was hoping that you could chaperon him." James didn't see her reaction but he guessed that it was one of bemusement.

"That doesn't sound like a detention." Evans said with a harsh tone to her voice. James couldn't blame her, he thought this was a lousy punishment to.

"Come on, we have guests to greet." He said walking out the room. James looked back at Evans who was glaring down at him. Arms folded and tapping her foot.

"What did you do to get off this easy?"

"Trust me I'm thinking the same thing." James said getting to his feet. "Not my idea of a punishment."

"Mine neither." Her eyes moved over him up and down, almost judging him to see if he was worthy of being in the presence of her own purple dress, which was quite nice James thought.

"Come on." She said finally turning. James followed her out of the office.

"Just don't say anything stupid, or smart, or…actually, don't say anything, ok." James raised his eyebrow.

"Afraid I might stand you up?" Lily looked back, her eyes flashed dangerously.

"No, I'm afraid that if I have to chaperon you I'll forever be associated with you." James pulled a face behind her. He then tugged on his tie again.

"Are you ok back there?"

"Fine." James said with a grimace. "I just hate this tie thing."

"Well suck it up because we're here." James tugged on his tie again. They walked into the party which had lots of small circular round tables dotted around the room with green table cloths with paler green napkins and green bunting around the room. There were already people inside mingling and eating small food from waiters walking round the room. No doubt other people caught for a detention by Slughorn.

"I'm out of my depth." James said tugging on his tie again.

Lily exhaled sharply. She turned to James.

"Hey what are you-" With one swift movement she undid his tie and flipped his collar up. James went to stop her but she slapped his hand away.

"Evans what are you-"

"I'm sick of seeing your tie all wonky like that." She said putting his tie round his neck. "If I'm going to be seen in public with you like this you have to look at least presentable."

"And a wonky tie defies that does it?" James replied sarcastically.

"It's the small things Potter." She said. "If the small things look right it means that people think, contrary to popular belief, that you take pride in your appearance." She did the tie back pulled the tie back up, folded the collar over and smoothed the collar over.

"There, much better." She mused, batting his shoulder lightly.

"Uhm…thanks. That actually feel better." Evans shrugged.

"A woman's touch, Potter." She said with half a smile. She walked off toward a drinks table, there was a large bowl of punch along with rows upon rows of butter beer bottles. James looked around.

"So…what do we do now where here?" Lily half smiled herself, it was just like when she was here last year, not knowing what she was doing.

"Well, I took your advice when I asked you that." Lily said getting herself a drink. James turned to face her, she had uncorked a bottle of butter beer for him and handed it to him.

"Thanks, what was my advice to you again?" Lily took a sip of punch.

"To be myself." She said looking down at the glass. "It worked for me but…" Her gaze followed James up and down.

"Maybe you should have think before you speak."

"You don't trust me."

"To save my life, depends on the situation. To navigate this…." She shook her head. James laughed and took a swig from his bottle.

"I promise I won't blow up the table, how about that?"

"…It's a start." Lily said with a small smile. "Come on, I want you to meet a friend of mine. If you're going to be following me then I might as well make use of you."

"Ah, Lily, it's so nice to see you." Lily hugged Bathilda. "Nice to see you to James." Lily looked back at James.

"Bathilda says she knows you so I thought we'll ease you in gently." Lily said.

"I know all the kids I used to babysit Lily." James looked down at the floor. Shit.

"You used to babysit him?" Lily asked, her amusement spreading across her face.

"Oh a long time ago, you see he has a holiday house in Godrics Hollow. His parents used to go out for the evening and I said I'd watch him." She shook her head.

"Trouble to the last Lily." She continued. "I've never known such an inquisitive child. Always getting into trouble."

"Don't I know it." Lily said looking at Potter who was ruffling his hair.

"Look I was young at the time, you know, you like to know everything."

"Not much of an excuse is it?" Lily said turning back to Bathilda who laughed.

"So what are you doing here James? Horace said that he's been trying for ages to try and get you to come to one of these."

"I was made to." James deadpanned.

"He pranked Rudolph Le Strange." Lily filled in. "Using Zonko's black sludge and Chinese fire feathers." Both looked at James who took a swig of his drink.

"I'm sure your dad has told you already that was a stupid thing to do."

"We haven't spoken about it yet." James said sheepishly. "But I don't think I need to bother him about it."

"Hmmmm." James rolled his eyes. Lily looked to Bathilda.

"Well we'll see you later Bathilda." Lily said. "I need to introduce this idiot to some other guests."

"Right here Evans."

"I know, see you later." She waved and led James away. "Have you met many of these people?"

"Yeah." James said. "I don't think many of them have fond memories of me though."

"Why not?"

"I got bored easily when I was younger."

"And…."

"You'll find out."

"Ah Yes, the same James Potter who poisoned my opera mushrooms to sing death metal."

"The same James Potter who thought it would be a joke to ride one of my cows like it was a rodeo."

"We still haven't forgot the time you put flatulence potion in my punch bowl." Lily looked down at her own glass.

"Yes, the time you and Master Black hijacked a suit of armour and scared all my guests."

"Don't waste your time with this one Lily. He let of smoke bombs at my Aunts school along with fire crackers during a passing out ceremony."

"He broke three of my eggs."

"Well that doesn't seem too bad." Lily said.

"They were Fabergé."

"Right." Lily said drawing out her response. "Well, we won't bother you anymore." Wow she mouthed under her breath as they walked to the drinks table. She went to fill her glass up and looked suspiciously at the punch bowl.

"I didn't spike this one." James said catching her up. "Believe me now?"

"You've…had a varied childhood." She replied diplomatically.

"And that's just scratching the surface."

"Do I want to hear the rest?"

"Depends on how you ask." James said with a smirk. Lily shook her head.

"Why does Snivellus looked like Christmas had been cancelled?" Lily looked over her shoulder and saw Sev staring at them with a vice like grip on his cup. Lily sighed.

"He still doesn't like you."

"We haven't done anything to him in ages." James said, "Not since we charmed one of his heels to become bigger with every step."

"That was last week."

"I did say it was ages." Lily tutted and rolled her eyes.

"Is there anyone here you haven't pranked?" Lily asked. "Someone we can converse with?" James shrugged.

"Potter's never had luck with the ladies have they?" James and Lily turned to see a tall and imposing figure behind them. He had gelled back black hair but with thuggish features. Lily instantly moved closer to James.

"But she is a redhead so you might well be in luck."

"Mr McNair." James forced out. "I didn't see you there."

"Sure…" He said.

"How's your father?" McNair asked. "Still celebrating after his raid at Malfoy manor?" He smiled smugly. "Or is he still recuperating?" Lily noticed James clench a fist.

"Actually, he's searching for the one henchman who escaped." James stepped forward. "I don't supposed you know anything about that do you? After all, you and the Le Strange's are quite close."

McNair wasn't impressed with that. He looked around to make sure no one was listening.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He said straightening his robes. "But I'd watch your step Mr Potter, from what I've heard Potter's attacking Le Strange's unprovoked seems to be a family trait."

"You'd know first-hand wouldn't you." James half smiled. "See you soon Mr McNair." He walked away. He heard Evans call his name after him.

That made his mind up. He was out of here. James looked around and saw Evans talking to Modderi McNair. He saw Slughorn talking to someone whose name he neglected to remember. He walked over to the door and slipped out. He walked down the corridor towards dungeon three with a big smile on his face.

* * *

In dungeon three Sirius, Remus and Peter where busy scrubbing away at the cauldrons, all one hundred of them. Sirius was scrubbing away hard at one. His face strained with frustration. The rag moved over the metal which didn't seem to get any cleaner. Sirius let out a frustrated grunt and threw his rag on the floor. The other two looked up at him.

"This bites, how the hell did we get stuck with this while James got off scot free?" Sirius asked.

"I'm sure he's not enjoying it." Remus replied.

"You don't sound so sure." Said Peter. Remus stopped scrubbing as well and thought for a moment.

"He did want to be here with us." Remus replied. "It's not our fault that Slughorn wanted James in his slug club."

"Yeah, well, he should know what side his bread is buttered." Sirius said. "HE should be here with us instead of swanning off in some high society shit."

"You know what Sirius." The three of them looked back to see James walking into the room.

"I couldn't agree more."

"Mate, what are you doing here?"

"Shouldn't you be at the slug club?"

"I should be." James said taking off his jacket. "But it A, it was shit, and B, I would much rather be with you three." He rolled his sleeves up.

"Sirius, rag." Sirius smirked and threw him a rag which James caught easily. He got down on his knees and brought a cauldron over.

* * *

"Damn, damn, daman, damn." Lily pushed her way through threw the crowd towards the kitchen area.

She took her eyes of Potter for one minute and had escaped. Oh Slughorn was going to kill her. She pulled the curtain to the area back sharply. The people who were serving looked at her in surprise. She tried to see his untidy black hair but to no avail. She turned back and scanned over the people chatting and socialising, Sev included.

She looked around and moved away. Maybe she should tell Slughorn. No that would that she was incompetent. She saw Bathilda on her own, maybe she knew, she did know him after all. She walked over briskly towards her. She must have been loud because Bathilda was already looking at her.

"Are you ok dear?" she asked.

"Have you seen Potter?" she asked quickly. "I lost sight of him and now I can't find him anywhere."

"James?"

"Yes. Oh Professor Slughorn is going to murder me."

"He will not." Bathilda reassured her. "Now, where did you last see him?"

"We were talking to Mr McNair, he said something that Potter didn't like and we walked away. Of course I didn't because I didn't want to be rude. But when I finished I couldn't find him."

"Hmmmm."

"What was his detention for again?"

"He and his friends pranked Rudolph Le Strange." Lily said, her eyes still scanning the area. Bathilda frowned.

"So, what where the detentions for his friends?"

"Scrubbing cauldrons." Lily replied.

"He got off easy."

"That's what I said."

"Where are his friends doing their detention?"

"Dungeon three." She looked back at Bathilda who was smiling warmly. Lily thought for a moment and then looked back at Bathilda.

"No….he wouldn't." Bathilda placed her hand on her shoulder.

"To some men, it is the height of dishonour to betray ones friends." She explained. "Go to dungeon three, you'll find him there"

"Are you sure?" Bathilda nodded. Lily moved away slowly towards the door. He wouldn't go back to his friends, he was probably back at his dorm. She saw Sev by himself in the corner, maybe he saw where Potter went. Lily made her way over to him.

"Have you seen Potter?"

"No, why?"

"I've lost him." Lily said looking round.

"He's probably ran off?"

"Where would he run off to?"

"Maybe he's gone back to his dorm." Lily shook her head.

"He wouldn't do that. He's got to be close."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well Bathilda thinks he's gone to do his detention with his friends." Lily explained. "It makes sense, he's hated it here." Sev snorted dismissively. Lily turned to Sev. "Well what do you think?"

"He would probably leave his friends on their own while he got away with it."

"Would he do that?" Sev smirked.

"You've seen how he struts around here." He said. "Wouldn't be around the realms of possibility." Lily wasn't so sure.

"Come on Lily you know it, I know it. Would he go to your detention?"

"Well…no."

"Exactly, see, he's trying to get of scot free because of his name. I mean, Black is an influential name, but do you see him here?" Lily shook her head.

"See." Lily frowned.

"Cover for me. I'm gonna drag him back here even if it's kicking and screaming."

Sev was right, that was exactly what he would do. Lily now felt angry. She roughly banged the door open into the hallway and walked down the corridor towards the staircase. She was half way down the corridor when she saw the torches from Dungeon one lit. Lily stopped, now she concentrated on the sounds around her she could hear laughter from dungeon three. Lily cocked her head slightly and approached slowly.

Her steps echoed loudly on the stone floor as she approached but there was so much laughter from the dungeon they went unnoticed. She got to the door and peered inside. There was Potter, just…just like Bathilda said he would be. With his friends.

They were there, laughing and joking with each other…scrubbing pots. Lily sighed and smiled. Maybe he did have some honour after all.

"Miss Evans?" Lily looked back to see Professor Slughorn coming towards her. "Have you seen Mr Potter anywhere? I have someone I want him to see." He stopped and saw Lily by the door to the dungeon.

"Miss Evans where is he?" Lily looked down at her shoes and pointed to the door. Professor Slughorn waddled past her and looked at the four of them just as Lily had. He sighed and looked down at Lily.

"Let's leave them to it."

"But professor, what about his-"

"I think he's chosen his punishment." Slughorn replied. "Besides, things like this build camaraderie among young men."

"Is that a good thing?" Slughorn smiled.

"It's not you my dear, boys at this age or just that, boys." He walked back towards the party.

She afforded one last look and walked back to the party with a spring in her step. I suppose this way they both got what they wanted. She slipped back into the party and Sev was there to greet her.

"So, had he gone back to the dorm? I bet he did." Lily shook her head.

"No." She said walking forward. "He's in dungeon one cleaning cauldrons." Sev screwed his face up.

"What?"

"Yeah he's there with his friends."

"Why's that?" Sev asked.

"No idea." Lily replied. "So long as he's out of my hair and having a punishment, I'm happy."

"Potter made you happy?" Lily shrugged.

"First time for everything I suppose." Lily said. "Come on, let's dance."


	24. Chapter 24

Adrenaline. Fight. Or Flight. It should be a very easy decision, against a man, it's easy. Fight. Against a vampire however….depends on how big your balls are.

The townsman was dragged across the floor screaming, he was tossed up into the air, the night sky and ground melding into his vision until he was plucked out of the air and dragged off by a vampire.

Rufus looked up at him but had to react quickly to stop another vampire from attacking him. He fired a stunning charm at the vampire which took its head off and smack on the earthy ground. He turned to the Vampire flying away with the townsman. Rufus fired a cutting charm and severed the vampire's leg.

"No! NOOOOOO!"

A vampire struck a woman down in the street with the back of its hand. It was one of Dracula's drones that didn't have a mind of its own. It jumped on the woman and began to try and suck her blood.

Rufus hexes at the vampire to try and get him of her. A few hexes hit and flew off. Rufus got next to her and looked down at the blood seeping from her neck. Rufus bowed his head got to his feet.

He looked around him at the vampires attacking the town's folk, flying through windows and cutting people down in the street. Nothing could have prepared him for this.

"Sir! Help me!" Rufus turned and looked up at one of the enforcers. He was too late as a vampire bit into the enforcer's neck. He drained the blood from him and threw his lifeless corpse into a building. That was his last enforcer…now, it was just him.

The city of Beauchest was in flames right now, explosions going off in the distance while vampires where killing and converting muggles around him with waves and waves of vampires coming towards him. Most of his unit was dead, he was the last man standing against this attack.

He'd failed…

Hell was coming alive around him.

"SKREEEEEE!"

Rufus looked up. Through the smoke he could see a figure through the smoke of the crater.

Dracula looked around the streets, a small smile on his lips as he basked in the destruction of his vampires. He straightened his suit jacket and looked around. He saw Rufus standing. He looked at Rufus oddly, thinking that no one would be left standing.

"Dracula."

"There appears to be one left standing, kill him!" A swarm of vampires came hurtling towards him. Rufus took out two silver stakes. As the first one got closer Rufus threw one of the steaks that impaled the lead vampire, steaking it into the ground.

He pulled out his wand and set a barrage of cutting curses at the swarm that took down the first wave.

He threw another ring of garlic at the wave which just seem to get swallowed up by the cloud of vampires. Rufus ran toward the wave with his one remaining steak he jumped in, stabbing any vampires he could see with his steak.

But he was overpowered. The vampires pinned Rufus to the floor.

"Get the hell off me!"

"Stop." The Vampires stopped champing at the bit and turned to Dracula who was walking forward toward him. He stopped in front of Rufus. He tapped his foot and stared at him, his red iris's boring into him.

"I recognise your face." Drac

ula said leaning down looking at Rufus. "You're the man who was sent to stop me by The Ministry." His mouth curled into a smile. "You have heart, can be very useful to me…"

Rufus struggled, but the grip of the vampires was like a vice against his restrained limbs. Dracula got to his knees. His jaw extended and showed of his fangs before sinking them into Rufus's neck. Rufus seemed to lose his breath and fell limply back to the ground. Dracula got to his feet. He reached for his handkerchief and dapped his mouth off the blood dripping from his mouth.

"He will no longer be a problem for us."

 **The Marauders Proudly Present Alec Potter In The Marauders: Year Two**

 **Chapter Twenty Four**

 **The Proposal**

 **Written By Chambers10**

THWAK

Alec looked at the board from his chair. The dart he had thrown was now impaled on sixteen year old Tom Riddle. How was he connected to the death of Hepzibah Smith, and the theft of the cup and locket? And was he the man behind the Sons of Salazar.

"I heard a noise?" Katherine came into the study.

"It was nothing." Said Alec. With a flick of his wrist the dart came back into his hand.

He had been able to get a one on one session with Hokey, Smith's house elf. But St Mungo's had insisted that it be held there at a time that suited them, that was to be tomorrow.

"Are you still looking at that thing?" asked Katherine. Alec nodded while twirling the dart in his finger.

"Does that look like someone you know?" he asked pointing at the photo of riddle with the dart. Katherine walked towards the photo. Her brow furrowed.

"I'm…not sure." She said. "I've never seen him before, have you?"

"Not in person." Said Alec. "He's the man I'm investigating."

"Inves-"

"Researching." Alec corrected quickly. "He's the bastard son of Muggle land owner and Merope Gaunt."

"Merope Gaunt had a child?" said Katherine in surprise.

"She did." Said Alec. "A son. Him." Alec threw the dart and it hit the photo on the cheek. Katherine looked more intently at the photo.

"It certainly doesn't look like her." she mused. "Or her father, must take after the father then."

"Indeed he does." Said Alec summoning the dart back from the board. "There is a connection between him and these Sons of Salazar but I'm not seeing it. There is something missing."

"How do you know it's him?" said Katherine. "It could be any number of Gaunts."

"Because he was the only Gaunt or, Riddle when the chamber of secrets was supposedly opened." Said Alec. "He slipped under the radar, and then Hagrid was blamed for it." Alec shook his head, "I never believed it for a moment."

"If he was the heir of Slytherin then he should be a Parcelmouth." Said Katherine tapping the picture.

"Marvolo and Morfin Gaunt where." said Alec. "It would make sense that their descendant was to."

"And you think he's the guy?" Said Katherine.

"It all points to him, but I can't nail him down as suspect." Said Alec. "His school record is faultless. Even has a special commendation for services to the school. A prefect as well."

"So what makes you think it is him?"

"He has a very dark side." Said Alec. "You know that Kid I was telling you about, the one who lives at the orphanage."

"The one that placed the tracer on you?" said Katherine.

"Yeah, he had posters in his room of these magical occults." Alec picked up another dart and threw it at the board. It landed on photos of the posters on Royce's wall. Katherine walked over to the dart and pulled it out.

"These were found at that Orphanage?" said Katherine.

"Yeah." Said Alec. "He thought they were some cool posters." Katherine frowned.

"What are you thinking?"

"A magical trail across the world." Said Alec.

"But, that's after, this is the dark bit." Alec threw another dart.

"Dennis Bishop and Amy Benson." Said Alec. "Two children at the same Orphanage as him. On a holiday to Cornwall he tortured them, drove them to point of insanity."

"That sounds like something a dark wizard would do." Said Katherine. Alec nodded.

"That's how I know it's him, but he's good at covering his tracks. But he can't hide them. Hopefully this interview with Hokey can place him as the man who killed Smith.

"You think that was him to." Alec nodded. "You have been a busy little bee."

Alec smiled, she turned round and walked over to his chair and sat down on his lap and he wrapped his arm around her.

"Do you know who killed the Riddles then?" asked Katherine. Alec hummed. Katherine picked up a dart from the table. She leaned back, closed one eye and threw it at the board. It landed on the Riddle's graves.

"Morfin Gaunt." Said Alec. "He had a history with Tom Riddles father." Alec picked up the last dart and threw it at Tom Riddle's father.

"Cursed him once." Said Alec. "Didn't like him for some reason, he was pissed when he found out that Merope had jumped town with Riddle, when he came back it wouldn't of surprised me if he did snap." Alec cocked his head so it rested on Katherine's shoulder.

"When Riddle came back he would have bided his time for the perfect opportunity to strike…it makes sense." Katherine kissed him on the temple.

"Why don't we go to bed? You need to be ready tomorrow." Alec smiled and they both got up. Alec afforded one last look on the board and then followed her upstairs.

* * *

"Thanks for being so understanding Auror Potter." The Matron said as they walked through the hallways. "I know you are all very busy but Hokey wasn't in the right frame of mind to accept visitors at the time of your owl."

"I understand fully." Said Alec. "I'm very glad that you would let me talk to her."

"We asked her first and she said yes." They stopped outside a door. "She doesn't get many visitors, and all she goes on about is her former mistress."

"Must be tragic." Said Alec. The matron nodded.

"She gets tired very easily as well. Don't be offended is she falls asleep."

"I won't." The matron smiled and opened the door. The room was small but had all the things she needed. A bed on the left with pink sheets, a kitchen area on the right with an armchair in the middle of the room. Alec walked round the chair where the little elf was reading a book.

"Hello, Hokey?" The little elf squeaked and looked up.

"Oh, hello." She said brightly. "Are you the nice man who wants a chat?"

"Yes." said Alec. "Can I make you a cup of tea?"

"Don't worry dear, I'll make It." she said getting up.

"No, allow me, you rest." Said Alec moving to the kitchen area. He started to boil water into a kettle and placed it on the pan to boil.

"What was it you wanted to talk me about dear?"

"I just wanted to talk to you about your old master." Said Alec. "I was hoping you could answer a couple of questions about her, if you don't mind?"

"Oh, I don't mind, Hokey loved her mistress." She said. Alec opened the fridge and got some milk out. "What would sir like to know about mistress?" The kettle whistled and Alec began to pour the water into the mug.

"I wanted to talk to you about her collection of antiques." Said Alec walking round to the chair with two mugs. He handed one to Hokey before summoning a chair for himself.

"Oh, mistress loved her collection." Said Hokey fondly. "Me and Mistress would catalogue her collection every month, she loved going through every little thing, and knowing its place." Alec smiled.

"What where her favourites?" asked Alec. "I'm sure with a collection so vast she would have had favourites."

"Oh yes, mistress had her favourites." Said Hokey. "She loved her suits of armour, had many from around the world."

"What about jewellery?" asked Alec. "Did she have any she loved?" Hokey's eyes lit up.

"Oh she loved jewellery the Mistress did." Said Hokey. "She made jewels and rings that made many people envious."

"I'm sure." Said Alec. "What about…necklaces? Did she have any of those?"

"Yes, yes, lots of necklaces." Said Hokey. "She had lots of those." Alec nodded, he needed to find a way to steer the conversation towards the locket.

"Did she have any lockets?"

"No, no lockets." The voice was sharp and robotic, the action coming out of her mouth naturally. He face had then gone so passive and emotionless when she said it. Alec frowned curiously.

"And a cup?" he asked.

"No, no cups." She said. The exact same things happened. Hokey then shook her head and then looked at Alec in confusion and then went wide eyed happy.

"I'm sorry, where you saying something dear?" asked Hokey.

"Yes." Said Alec. "I forgot to ask, do you take sugar in you tea?" asked Alec.

"Oh, yes, one lump." Said Hokey. Alec smiled and took the mug away.

"So, tell me more about these armours she liked so much?" Alec called from the kitchen. Hokey began talking, but Alec was hard at work. He got the sugar out and then reached into his coat and pulled out a sleeping capsule. He cracked the capsule and emptied it into the mug along with a sugar.

"Ahum. Very nice, what dynasty?" Alec kept on stirring until he was satisfied the sleeping draught had been thoroughly dispersed. He walked over and gave her the mug back. She sipped the warm water and leaned back in the chair.

"Oh, that's so muchhhhhhh bettttterrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-" Her head dropped down as she fell asleep. Alec placed his mug down and looked at the door. With a swish of his wand he locked it and kneeled down in front of Hokey.

"Let's see what's wrong with you." said Alec. He pointed his wand at Hokey's head. A black beam came out and scanned her head. Alec then turned away as the wand emitted a complete image of Hokey's brain.

Alec was looking at the neural pathways; they didn't appear to be blocked in anyway. But, they were detreating.

"Alzheimer's." Said Alec looking down at the floor. He looked back at the scan, so if it wasn't the pathways. The way she spoke was robotic, pre-planned. He should check the temporal lobe.

Alec looked at a small section at the base of the brain. It was inflamed in size.

"That's not normal." Said Alec. He highlighted the small sphere and enlarged it. It looked diseased. Alzheimer's attacked the temporal lobe but this was mutated in a different way, instead of attacking all long term memories it was attacking specific memories. Not…deleting them as such but altering them.

Alec frowned. He recognised this from somewhere.

The memory itself wasn't destroyed, but altered, a lie. A lie so convincing that Hokey actually believed it.

A memory altering charm.

Alec opened up the lobe more. He could pin point the memories and where they were altered. Alec pulled out the memory helix. It was shaped just like a DNA helix but instead carried the memories of an individual.

The normal memories where white with a slight twinge to them. As Alec moved down the memories he came to a section that was black with a red tinge to it. Alec inspected further. It had all the earmarks of a memory altering charm, not a complete wipe, otherwise that would draw suspicion. Alec checked the time on it.

He could pin point it to between her hundredth and thirty fourth and fifth year of her life. Alec needed to extract the memory and try and reconstruct it. Alec closed down the scan and looked down at the elf. Alec then kneeled down in front of her and concentrated on the memories he was looking for.

He extracted a very thick and long silvery liquid from her head with the tip of his wand. Alec pulled out a beaker and placed the liquid inside. He closed up the beaker and got to his feet, slipping the beaker in his coat pocket. Alec got to his feet and took the mug away from her. He poured the contents down the sink and washed up, trying to leave no trace of him being there. Alec looked around one final time and closed the door behind him.

* * *

"Research and Development. Welcome Auror Potter." Alec walked down the corridor to H division. He placed his hand on the console was let in.

"Alec?" said H surprised, he kicked away from his desk. "What can I do for you?"

"Fire up that pensive." Said Alec. "We have some work to do." H nodded and got to his feet and followed Alec to the pensive room.

"Ok, what are we looking at?"

"House elf memories." Alec placed the memory in. H walked to reader he looked at it and scratched his chin. "Ones that are being degraded by Alzheimer's."

"There are a lot of memories there." Said H. "Almost a years' worth, which ones are we looking for?"

"Anything corrupted." asked Alec.

"There all corrupted." Said H. "The Alzheimer's was eating away at them."

"Isn't there a, cluster or something." asked Alec. H shook his head.

"There all bad to be honest." He said. "There are fragments missing from them." Alec shook his head.

"Can we find certain areas she was in?" said Alec. "Like…the safe, the safe Smith kept her most valuable items in, can we get that?"

H sieved through the memories.

"Yeah, there are…30 instances when she went in to that safe." Said H.

"Hokey said that they catalogued her collection every month." Said Alec. "That accounts for twenty four of the visits." Alec tapped his chin.

"Do the dates intersect, like on the third Sunday of every month or something?" H plucked out a cluster of memories and looked through them.

"They happened on every first Saturday." Said H.

"Ok, give me those memories that don't fall in those time frames." Said Alec. H sent over the six memories. Alec lined them up and picked one out. He took it over to the pensive and placed it in.

"How corrupted is this memory?"

"Fifteen percent." Said H. Alec frowned.

"Ok, let have a look." Alec submerged himself into the memory and was now in Smiths mansion. He saw Hokey with her master. She was enjoying a small piece of cake as Hokey cleaned up the crumbs around her.

"Our guest will be arriving shortly Hokey." She said. "Makes sure that there is a fresh pot of tea ready for when he arrives."

"Yes Mistress, of course mistress." Said Hokey walking away. Alec followed her into the hallway which had lots of glass cabinets with ornaments and pottery. Also suit of armour in various sizes.

"Fast forward to the guest coming." Said Alec. The memory fast-forwarded to when Hokey was on her way to the front door. She opened it and a man was standing there. Except his face was a blur. He was tall and slender, but none of his features showed. What Alec did notice was that he was holding chocolates and flowers. Alec frowned.

"H, is this the corruption?"

"Yeah, it goes right across the memory. Do you want me to pull it?"

"No." said Alec. "Go through the other five and see if this was the corruption in them to."

"On it."

"Hello." Even the voice was masked. "I'm here to make a quotation on a suit of armour?"

"Of course, Mistress is expecting you." she said. Hokey showed the man into the house, he was looking entrance hall and then into the main parlour where Smith was waiting.

"Hello Miss Smith." He said. "My names Kzkkzkkz."

"Pause." The memory stopped. "Rewind." The memory wound back to the start of the sentence and went again. The same thing happened. Static.

"More of the corruption I'm afraid." Said H. "You won't be able to hear his name at all."

"Right." Said Alec. "Ok, play." The memory continued.

"Ah, you must be the young man that Mister Burke has sent to see my armour." She said.

"Indeed." He said. "My name is Kzkkzkkz. I have also brought with me these." He held out the chocolates and the flowers. "I hear they are your favourites." The woman blushed and fanned herself.

"Oh my, you do, do your homework." She said then letting out a toothy giggle. "Anyone would think that you were trying to seduce me." Alec liked to think that this stranger grimaced at the thought. But instead, he laughed.

"Well you see right through me." He said jokingly.

"Well would you like some tea? Hokey as just made a fresh pot." He turned to the house elf.

"That would be lovely." He said.

"I'll have one to Hokey." She said. "Please, sit Mister Kzkkzkkz. We have much to discuss." The house elf walked off while they began to talk business.

"Ok, let's fast forward to when Hokey opened the safe." The memory fell apart and then reformed. In the parlour again.

Smith and this stranger where laughing again. The suit of armour was now placed next to the stranger.

"Have you got any other beautiful artefacts in this collection of yours?" The stranger said. "Ones that you don't show anyone else?" Smith blushed and fanned her face more.

"Oh yes, oh I have things that are priceless to me." She said. "Not a living soul, apart from me and Hokey has seen." The stranger nodded.

"I hear, and it's only a rumour mind you, that you have the cup of Helga Hufflepuff. Is that true?"

"Why yes." Smith said an animated voice. "It's an heirloom that's been passed down my families for centuries. Why do you ask, it isn't for sale."

"I'm not interested in buying it Miss Smith." He said. "I know an artefact like that can never be bought. I would just like to look at it. It's a priceless heirloom."

"That it is." Said Smith fanning herself again.

"With you kind permission, I would love to look at It." he said. "It's not every day that you can see such significance to our culture here is it."

"That's very true." She said she looked down at her cup and then up at the stranger. "In that case, I have a very big surprise for you to. Hokey." The house elf perked up.

"Would you please get the cup and the other founder for our guest here?" She smiled at him flirtatiously.

"Of course Mistress." The elf walked out of the parlour and into a room where more of Smith's collection laid, masks and weapons. She walked over to a seemingly blank wall and pulled down one of the decorations. The wall hissed, it fell back and then slid to reveal a safe. Hokey placed in a combination and it opened.

Inside where lots of jewels, rubies, emeralds, diamonds. And in the centre was a cup. It was gold with a few jewels along the side and an engraving with a badger on it. Hokey picked up the cup and inside it. Alec could see the locket, with the serpentine S on it.

He followed Hokey back into the room where they were having more tea. Smith saw Hokey and beckoned her over. Alec watched curiously as the stranger, who had been chatty to this point had now stopped as the cup came into his vision. Smith smiled and took the locket out.

"Here it is Mister Kzkkzkkz." She said. "The Goblet of Helga Hufflepuff, impressive isn't it." She handed the goblet over to the stranger. He held the goblet confidently as he turned it over in his fingers.

"That is made by the finest." Said Smith. "One of the rarest cups in the world. Legend has it that anyone worthy of the mantle Hufflepuff would be granted everlasting life."

He nodded.

"It certainly is impressive." He said. "It's in perfect condition."

"Always cleaned." Said Smith. "And, this, this is something I picked up from your employer. I couldn't believe it when I saw it. A very rare item." She held out the locket. Alec could tell from the surprise movement forward that he was interested.

"Is that… Slytherin's locket is it?" he said.

"It is." Smith looked at the locket with pride. "I saw it at your shop."

"You did?" She nodded.

"Very rare. I was surprised the Gaunts wanted rid of it, these things are priceless, well, priceless to those who don't have money." She giggled. The stranger nodded.

"I can see that." He said in a more constricted voice.

"A priceless heirloom." She continued. "One that can never be reclaimed, you see, the Gaunt line has burnt out now."

"Has it?"

Alec smiled to himself, was this Tom Riddle?

"Oh yes, Marvolo's, children, Merope and Morfin. Last of their name." She said. "I would like to get the full set of Founder Heirlooms. But, the Potters still have the sword of Godric and Ravenclaws diadem is lost forever.

"So I see." He gave the locket back.

"Well Miss Smith, I really must be going." The memory then faded. Alec got himself out of the pensive.

"That was weird." Said H.

"No. Enlightening." Said Alec. "Do you think that Riddle might have worked for Borgin and Burkes?"

"What?"

"Nothing." Said Alec. "This stranger, does he appear in any of the other memories." H was sifting through memories.

"Two of the clips of Hokey cleaning the collectables in there." Said H. "One is of her putting back the cup and locket back in the safe.

"What about the other two?" asked Alec. H shook his head.

"I can't, most of the memories is corrupted."

"Are there any memories that aren't corrupted, a hundred percent." Said Alec.

"Yeah…" said H, "One."

"Just the one?"

"Yeah, bringing it up now." Alec went back into the pensive.

It was the kitchen, and Hokey was making tea, but instead of Sugar she placed something else in the cup and then walked away with it. The memory stopped.

"So the only memory the elf has left was of her poisoning her old master." Said Alec. "This stranger murdered her."

"Based on what facts?"

"Memory altering charms bring on Alzheimer's." said Alec. "The only memory that isn't affected-"

"Is the one that's been created?" Said H. Alec nodded.

"I'm going back to Borgin and Burke." Said Alec. "I know who the stranger is."

* * *

Alec walked up the Borgin and Burke and opened the door. He walked and saw Borgin with a customer. He hadn't noticed him yet. Alec waited behind the customer, an old lady.

"Thank you Mr Borgin." She said in a croaky voice. She turned and slowly hobbled out of the shop. Borgin looked up and saw Alec.

"Don't run." Said Alec as the door closed.

"I'm going to ask you some more questions." Said Alec. "Don't worry, things won't get rough, unless you hold out on me." Borgin swallowed hard.

"Ok." He said. "What do you want now?"

"Have you ever taken on anyone else?" asked Alec. "You know, apart from inside the family?"

"No, of course not." Said Borgin chuckling nervously. "Everyone knows we don't hire outsiders."

"Hmmm. Well, thank you for your time." said Alec turning away. His footsteps echoed across the shop. Borgin breathed out. Before he knew it he was pinned up against the wall.

"Why lie to me?" asked Alec. "I know you sent someone to Hepzibah Smith. To give a consultation on a suit of armour."

"How do you know these things?" Borgin croaked.

"World's Greatest Detective, remember." Said Alec. His grip tightened round his neck. "Now who was the man you sent!"

"Ok, ok." Said Borgin trying undo the vice grip on his throat.

"Riddle, his name was Tom, Riddle!" Alec dropped him onto the floor. Borgin began coughing hard and spluttering.

"Tom Riddle." Said Alec. "When did he start working for you?"

"Summer of 47." Said Borgin rubbing his throat.

"Why did you never declare it?" asked Alec asked, he began to pace.

"And get clobbered with taxes." Said Borgin. "No thank you. It was off the books."

"He was a Hogwarts head boy, how did you woo him to come and work for a dick like you?" asked Alec.

"He came to us." Said Borgin. "Wanted to work with us, he promised something to make us all rich."

"What?"

"Ravenclaws Diadem." Said Borgin. "He said he knew where it was, if we let him work here he would take us to it."

"When did he leave?" asked Alec.

"A couple of days after he went to see Hepzibah Smith." Said Borgin. "Just disappeared. Poof. Into mid-air, should of known it was too good to be true, he was a bloody smooth talker that one." Alec nodded and then walked to the door.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Alec didn't answer and closed the door behind him and began to walk back down the street.

Riddle knew about Ravenclaws diadem. Impossible, it was an artefact lost to history. Helena Ravenclaw took it out of spite and hid it somewhere from her mother. How would Riddle know where to find it, and why would he then flaunt it to the Borgin and Burke… Alec rubbed his temples, he there was something there he was missing.

Salazar's Locket.

Hufflepuffs Cup.

Ravenclaws Diadem.

Riddle had a fascination with all of them. Why? He wasn't a collector, or an enthusiast. So what did he want them for?

Alec needed to retrace Riddles steps. Where did he go, and what else did he do while he was travelling.

* * *

"That I'm not sure of Alec." Dumbledore placed his cup down. "I talked to him, but he never divulged where he went."

Alec rubbed his knee and looked placed his cup down to. They were in Dumbledore's office. If anyone knew what Riddle was doing, it was him. Or so he thought.

"So he just told you he was travelling, he never told you where?" said Alec. Dumbledore shrugged.

"I always vowed to keep a stern eye on him." said Dumbledore. "But, I'm afraid I can't help you. Might I enquire why you are looking for him? From what I gather you're suspended."

"I think he maybe be connected to the Sons of Salazar." Said Alec. "I was hoping you kept tracks on him." Dumbledore shook his head.

"Sorry Alec, but, I haven't." Alec sighed.

"How's James getting on?" asked Alec. Dumbledore smiled and raised his eyebrow. Alec sighed and went to have some more tea.

"Chip of the old block then." Said Alec. Dumbledore smiled under his beard.

"You say that like it is a bad thing." Said Alec. "What has he been up to?"

"Apart from being a 'chip off the old block.' He's very good, he's top of his class in pretty much everything. Though he does have a talent for trouble."

"I know that." Said Alec.

"He pulled a Prank on Rudolph Le Strange." Alec cursed under his breath.

"Great, fucking great." He said. "Why can't he help himself?"

"Chip off the old block?" Alec shook his head.

"What are you doing Alec?" asked Dumbledore. "You should be resting, and yet you seem to be more determined than ever."

"It keeps me busy." Said Alec. "It keeps me focused more than anything." Dumbledore nodded.

"I'm sorry I can't help you anymore." He said. Alec tapped his fingers on the chair and got up.

"Thanks for the tea, I'll find out where he's hiding." Said Alec. "I think I'll start with seeing his uncle, see what he knows. Maybe he has a clue to where riddle was going next."

"I had no idea he was in Azkaban."

"He isn't." said Alec. "He's incarcerated in Strangways prison, Thomas Riddle had him sent there after he attacked Tom Riddle senior."

* * *

The thunder crashed outside and the thick droplets of rain hit the imposing steel structure. Lighting streaked the sky with the accompanied rolling of thunder as the guards patrolled the prison.

Inside a guard whistled as he walked down the corridor, almost oblivious to the thunder and lightning outside. Satisfied that all the prisoners were safely in their cells and the shadows betrayed nothing he walked to the door to the break room. He took one look back and then closed the door. Alec stepped out of the shadows. He needed to find cell 666. A cruel irony.

Alec walked towards the cell. He couldn't shake the fact that that he was in some way playing into this guy's hands. That sixth sense of his going into overdrive.

"Don't take another step." Alec stopped. Sixth sense working perfectly as always. Suddenly, swirls of darkness appeared and hooded figures appeared in a circle around him. They were in black cloaks while wearing what looked like skull masks. Alec looked around at them, he could tell some of them were fearful of him. They should be. Alec moved a reverse magic emitter into his hand.

"It's a little early for Halloween don't you think lads?" said Alec looking round. None of them spoke. Alec laughed to himself.

"Strong and silent type huh?" he said. "Let me guess, you guys are the sons of Slytherin that everyone has been talking about." Again, nothing.

"Do you guys speak?" asked Alec.

"Oh they can." Alec looked over his shoulder and one hooded figure that had come into the centre of the circle.

"They just know better than to talk over me." Alec turned to face this leader, but he too was wearing a skull mask.

"I must admit, I thought that world's greatest detective title was just a gimmick." He said. "You are the only person in the world who has but all those links together, even I must admit, I thought I would never been caught."

"Riddle."

"Potter."

"I'm guessing that you were hoping to have a little conversation with my inbred uncle, find out about what happened to him, see if I had altered his memory to?"

"It crossed my mind." Said Alec.

"Well you forced my hand." Said Riddle. "But I will admit that I killed my filthy muggle family, just to save you the trouble of trying to figure it out, I used the same charm on my uncle as I did on that stupid house elf so he confessed to the murder."

"Yet you left her alive." Alec pointed out.

"For her sake she was acquitted and sectioned in Mungo's." said Riddle. "But, I've been busy…expanding." Alec took a step forward.

"Sons of Salazar I'm guessing." Said Alec. "Diversity is a sin and all that." Riddle nodded.

"Very good, but, the expanding has been happening further afield."

"You where the one who organised the bombing at the boulevard." Said Alec. "You supplied the bomb, you helped kill all those people."

"I've been making it a habit of late." Said Riddle untroubled. "The bombing was to scare the Americans, which it did. They proclaim themselves as the home of the free and the brave but really there just as chained up and fearful as the rest of the world when you attack them on their own doorstep."

"And you had to blow up an entire street to prove it?" said Alec.

"It's business Mr Potter." Said Riddle. "There's always trade-offs. Because you were right, bringing Murdoch down would create a huge vacuum. And now, we are here to fill the void." They started to close in.

"But." He held up his hand and they stopped. "I'm also here to make you an offer."

"An offer?" Riddle nodded.

"I have already recruited a lot of people of influence to my cause already." He said, his arms indicating to the circle around him. "All we want is to return the wizarding world to its roots. The old ways, I'm sure you remember them."

"Fondly." Said Alec darkly.

"So you know what we want then." Alec didn't need to see his face to know he was smiling. "We are going to get what we want. Whether you stand with us, or against us is up to you." He threw his hand towards Alec and a mask formed in mid-air. Alec caught it and looked down at it.

"You are a very capable wizard, who holds lots of influence, a person of your calibre would be very useful to me." He said.

"And what do I get if I join you?" asked Alec. "It's not like I need money."

"True." Said Riddle. "But, as you know, not all men look for anything logical, like money, or power, or land. They just do things because they want to, even if it is unexplainable. But you are very easy." Alec quirked his eyebrows.

"Tell me. Alec. Would you like to see you daughter again?" Alec looked up at him. With a wave of his hands, Harriet appeared before them. She didn't look like a ghost, but wasn't quite living either. "Because together, we can bring her back. All I ask of you is your obedience, and you can hold her again." Alec looked at Harriet, a blank expression on her face. She wasn't alive, she was dead, Alec saw her body, and nothing, nothing in the world could raise the dead. He had searched for anything that would.

Alec turned the mask in his hands, looking down at the black eyes of it. He dropped the mask and stamped on it, smashing it to pieces. Harriet then faded away.

"I'll pass." Said Alec. Riddle nodded.

"Well, I'm very disappointed." He said. "Your stubbornness will be your downfall."

"So I've been told." Said Alec. Behind his back Alec took out an RME (Reverse Magic Emitter)

"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you Mister Potter." He said walking back out of the circle. "But now you know my secrets, I can't allow you to live." Alec Smirked, he set the RME to three minutes.

"Do you how many times I've heard that line?" asked Alec.

"This will be the last time." said Riddle. "Kill him." He disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. The men in the circle pulled out there wands and pointed them at Alec.

"Any last words?" One of them asked. Alec frowned and looked down at his feet. He clicked on the RME. No magic now for three minutes.

"No. Do your worst." Said Alec.

"Aveda Kedava!" Nothing happened. Alec looked around, the men looked down at their wands.

"Are you done yet?" asked Alec.

"It's stopped, what do we do?" one of them asked.

"You're not really good at this are you?" Said Alec. He sprang into action. He grabbed one, pulled him towards him and smashed him in the mask. The others tried to apparate out.

"We can't get out!"

"No, you can't." said Alec. He dropped the man to floor with a thud that reverberated around the room. "Any last words?"

"No-no-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Alec picked up the death eater and threw him into the bars. Another went to hit Alec, Alec caught to punch and turned his wrist so the death eater fell to his knees making it easier for Alec to punch him to the floor.

Another death eater went to jump on Alec. Alec grabbed him and in one swift movement threw him into another set of bars. He blocked a punch and kicked another back. The last one came over to attack. Alec caught his punch, he put him into an arm lock and then kicked him in the head.

Alec breathed deeply, he never remembered it being this hard to take out a group of men before, maybe…maybe age was catching up with him. Alec shook his head and got to his feet, but before he could do anything one of them got back up slowly, he then apparated away.

"No!" Alec went to stop him but was too late, once one of them apparated they all started to.

"NO! NO! NO!" Alec couldn't get to them, they were gone.

"SHIT!" Alec hit the wall with his fist. They were gone. No leads what so ever. Alec then turned to the cell. The space between the dark bars betraying nothing of what lay beyond them.

He walked up to the iron bars slowly, the dingy light was still flickering. He walked slowly towards it and saw the face down body of Morfin Gaunt in the cell. Alec could place his entire fortune on it being an omega curse. Alec ran a hand through his hair and turned.

Even ten years ago he would have been quick enough to get those masks of in time. He would have taken them down quicker as well. He couldn't think about that now. He looked over and the cell.

If Riddle didn't know he was onto him, he did now. Any new evidence about him was going to be either very hard to obtain or a snippet that Riddle let out himself. But there must have been a reason why he killed his uncle now. Not leave it until decades later. There must have been something he knew that Riddle didn't want Alec knowing.

"Hey, you! What are you doing here?!" Alec turned his head from cell to see the prison guard pointing his pistol as Alec with his torch shining in his face.

"This isn't what it looks like." Said Alec taking a step back and putting his hands up.

"The hell it is!" the guard shouted, "There is blood everywhere and a dead body! And you're sneaking into a PRISON!"

"I think this is a big misunderstanding." Said Alec.

"Don't move or I will shoot!" he shouted.

"No." said Alec. "You won't." He quickly placed his hand into his pocket and pulled out a smoke bomb. He threw it on the ground and was inhaled by the black smoke.

The Guard waited for the smoke to disperse but no one was there. He walked toward the cell the man was hovering in front of and peered inside.

"Sound the Alarm! There's been a murder!"


	25. Chapter 25

Lily woke up and rubbed her head. The sunlight from the outside lit up here her four poster with the curtains drawn. Lily hugged herself and ran her hand through her hair before sitting up.

She yawned and stretched her hands above her head and pulled her curtains back. Her friends where in the various stages of getting up and getting ready for the day ahead.

"I, hate, mornings." Said Dorcas who was trying to tame her bird nest of hair.

"There not that bad." Said Lily. "Or they wouldn't be if you went to bed earlier." Dorcas glared at her from over her shoulder. "I saw the light charm." Said Lily gathering her things. "What where you reading?"

"…Nothing, just letters from home." Said Dorcas.

Lily shrugged and made her way lazily to the bathroom. Dorcas did have a point. She hated mornings to.

Lily sipped her tea while reading the paper, for a Wednesday it was unusually busy at this hour. Dorcas was ranting and raving about some Quidditch match that had happened and something had gone unfairly for her team. Lily though had zoned out on Jayne Moore's column on Dracula and sustainable potion ingredient farming.

 _It's all well and good saying that Dracula won't let the farmers source his lands for essential potion ingredients but what choice do they have when he kills these innocent people's lively hoods. Maybe if he thought about the economy of his nation maybe he might see that allowing people to farm potion ingredients such as Wolfsbane, Pryroseeds and Dopamine might provide them with a better way of life. All though knowing Dracula all he cares about is the blood of his people._

"Lily."

 _Which brings us onto my next subject about this so called Humanitarian crisis the muggle papers are prattling on about in Romania. I mean, seriously Typhoid, even the dumbest muggle would know that something like TB wouldn't kill on such a large scale._

"My sister does." Muttered Lily under her breath.

 _And how could The Ministry and the European Magical Commission even allow such a story to break out anyway? I thought Dracula and his brides killings were covered up with much more finesse and integrity, not some disease that can be cured as easily now as the common cold. I think that there is something there not telling us when it comes to this farce._

Lily nodded her head, it did seem very suspicious.

 _In my personal opinion we should send Alec Potter, freshly of his blazing capture of a terrorist in New York recently and the capture of the elusive terrorist Robert Murdoch out there to try and take down this unnecessary threat once and for all?_

Lily didn't really know if killing him was the answer, beside, Potter had always said that his dad wasn't the killing type.

 _But is it really surprising, that one of the most powerful man in the world. Should be a figure of controversy?_

Lilyread in closer.

 _After the trial of Robert Murdoch he was suspended by the Head of the Magical Law Enforcements Head of Internal Affairs, Jane Umbridge, who ludicrously suggested that Potter was somehow involved in Murdoch's plot to kill his son and a school mate. As a mother myself I would never endanger anyone of my children, and I'm sure after everything the Potters have been through that that's the last thing that Alec Potter would even think about._

 _But one as one commentator said._

" _Yes he took down Robert Murdoch, but let look at the big picture for a second. The world might still have Alec Potter but we still have one of highest rates of psychopaths in any magical nation in the world."_

 _He's right, look at Murdoch, look at the Necrofear look at Jimmy Chambers, Jack the Ripper. All Psychopaths who originated from our society, but hardly any from the like of America, Robert Thompson aside, and Australia._

"Lily!" Lily looked up at Dorcas who was waving at her. Had she been talking this entire time? "Earth to Lily, anyone home?"

"Yeah." Said Lily shaking her head. "I was just reading a good article."

"Who's?" asked Marlene.

"Jayne Moore." Said Lily. "I really like her columns and her views on the wizarding world."

"What was she asking for today?" asked Dorcas.

"She was talking about the Dracula problem." Said Lily. "She was saying that maybe Potters dad might be the one to sort him out."

"That's a bit above her paygrade." Said Dorcas. "Besides, James's dad is injured from catching those terrorists that tried to blow up The Boulevard."

"But she's right about Dracula." Said Lily. "I can't believe he hasn't been dealt with sooner."

"There's loads of politics there." Said Dorcas. "Centuries worth, not worth getting into."

The girls finished breakfast and made their way to their DADA lesson. As they stepped outside Lily saw a large group of first and second years enthralled with something. Lily frowned and then made her way towards. She was able to push herself to the front of the crowd and only found Potter performing some magic tricks for the crowd.

Lily tutted.

"Shouldn't you be going to class?" she asked. Potter smirked.

"Not a fan of my magic tricks?" Potter asked as he made a coin in his hand disappear.

"I've seen the best tricks Potter." Lily replied. Potter walked towards her.

"Now, do you know what the best magic tricks are Evans?" Lily shook her head. "The best ones are the ones you don't see coming." He placed his hand behind her head and pulled it back, showing off the coin he'd disappeared before.

"If that was supposed to sound profound then you need to work on your delivery." Lily said folding her arms. Potter though smirked and placed the coin back in his pocket.

"Lilium germen." James pulled his wand back sharply and a dozen Lilies came out of the tip and presented them to her. Lily gingerly took them out of his hands.

"Uhm…thanks." She said looking down at them and taking a small sniff. They actually smelt really nice.

"But why is your bag so heavy?" Lily looked back at Potter. He was looking down at her bag testing the weight of it. Lily looked down at where bag should be and saw that it was gone. She looked back at Potter.

"Give it back Potter!" said Lily dropped the flowers, glaring at him. He held up the satchel and inspected it. With a smirk he placed it over his shoulder. Lily looked on amazed at the sheer audacity of him to even try and contemplate such a thing.

"Nah." He said. "I think I'll keep hold of this for a while."

"It's not yours to keep!" said Lily through gritted teeth. "It's my bag!"

"You want it?" He smirked. "Come and get it if you really want it."

"What?" James pulled something out of his pocket and threw it on the floor. The hall was enveloped in black smoke. Lily took a step back to avoid it. Her eyes scanned the smoke while her friends had retreated further. By the time it had cleared he had gone.

"He did not just take my bag." Lily said in a sharp tone. Dorcas, Marlene and Julia all shared the same look of uneasiness.

"Look, he's going to be in our next class anyway." Dorcas said. "He's just being an arse, by the time we get to Helsings room he would of got bored with your bag anyway. Lily didn't reply, instead she marched forward toward the DADA class room. Lily stomped to the class room and saw Potter sitting down. He was leaning back easily on his chair with his feet on the desk. Lily stomped over to his desk.

She grabbed the edge of the desk.

"Where, is it Potter!?" Her voice low and dangerous.

"Where's what?" He asked with a blank expression.

"You know damn well what!" Potter looked over at Black.

"Is it me or is she crazier than normal today?" Potter asked.

"I heard it happens to them every so often." Was his reply.

"You stole my bag! Now where is it!?" Potter and Black both looked back at each other and then her.

"She off her knocker mate." Black replied.

"Where, is, MY BAG?"

"Miss Evans?"

"YES!" She stomped round and saw Professor Helsing coming down the stairs. "Professor." She ended meekly.

"What are you yelling about?"

"Potter stole my bag, Sir." Lily said casting a dark look at Potter who held his arms up.

"Potter, give Evans her bag back." Helsing said in a tired voice as he made his way to his desk.

"I don't have it sir." Potter replied.

"Yes you do." Lily said nodding. "Hand it over."

"Do you see it?" He asked. Lily looked down at the floor round his desk, his bag and Blacks where there, but no sign of her satchel.

"Potter, don't play games, just hand it back to her."

"I don't have it professor." He insisted. "You can have a look yourself."

"He's hidden it." Lily said crossing her arms across her chest. "Where is my bag, Potter?"

"I told you, I don't have it." Helsing let out an exhausted sigh and walked over towards the two of them.

"I don't know what game you two are playing but it's irritating me." He said sharply. "Evans, does he have you bag or not?"

"He does sir, he stole it from me this morning!" Lily insisted. "Now he won't give it back. Ask Dorcas, she saw the whole thing." They looked round at Dorcas who was now glaring at James.

"He did sir."

"No I didn't, ask Sirius, Remus and Pete." Potter interjected.

"No one cares about your reprobate friends." Lily shot back.

"Whoa, tar us all with the same brush, Evans."

"Shut up Black."

"I tire of this, Potter, do you have her bag or not?" Potter shrugged his shoulders.

"Sorry sir, I can't help." He then started to reach into his own bag. "But Evans can borrow some parchment from me if she's forgotten her bag." His stupid smirk on his face made Lily lose control, she banged her fist on the table that seemed to make everyone but Potter flinch slightly.

"I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN MY BAG! YOU HAVE MY BAG!"

"Miss Evans, calm down." Lily's eyes bored into Potter, she stared at him for a moment. He had a small smile in the corner of his mouth and the smug look of victory.

"Fine." She said through gritted teeth and leaned back. "I'll take your parchment." Potter handed her the parchment which she snatched from his hand. She stalked back to her desk where Guy was sitting. She sat down in her chair and blew some hair out of her face.

"Are you ok?" Guy asked.

"Potter." Lily said unfolding the parchment. "Is the most annoying, pig headed…idiot I have ever met!"

"What did he do?"

"He stole my bag and now has convinced everyone that he doesn't have it!" Lily hissed. She looked over at him laughing and joking with Black. It wasn't anywhere near him, so where could he put it?

"He is annoying." Guy said now looking over.

"I know, the way he struts around, that stupid smug look on his face when he wins at something." Lily looked over at him, she must have stared for a tadge to long because he looked her way. He noticed her staring and winked at her. Lily could feel herself flush and furiously started to write on her parchment.

Guy obviously sensed her frustration and anger and left well alone.

"Ok everyone please turn to page 263 of your text books and we'll carry on our work on Dracula's first uprising."

Lily huffed when she realised that of course her book had been in her bag. She looked over at Potter who was laughing with Black. She looked back angrily at her desk and looked up to see a book on her desk. She turned to guy.

"Did you put this here?" She asked picking it up.

"No, it was already on the desk." Lily turned the cover over and saw that it was a copy of Dracula Friend or Foe? She opened the book and looked at the inside of the front cover.

 _Property of Lily Evans._

It took of the strength in her body not to throw the book at Potter. She seethed and looked down at the book.

When she had opened the book a piece of parchment fell out. Lily only just noticed and picked it up. All that was on it was a smiley face that winked at her. Lily screwed the piece of parchment up in her fist.

"I'm gonna kill him." She whispered under her breath.

She had to be patient. She could hardly concentrate on her work thinking that Potter had her bag to himself. She couldn't help but look over, trying to see anything that would give her an inkling as to where he was hiding her satchel.

When the lesson finished Lily could only pick up her half scribbled notes and her book. She didn't even say goodbye to Guy. She marched out of the door and waited for Potter to come out of the door. After the file of students she saw his black hair. She walked slowly through the crowd and saw him.

With all her strength she pulled him from the crowd and smacked him up against the wall. He didn't look surprised to see her. If Lily guessed he was counting on it.

"I was wondering when you were going to give me my parchment back." He said easily. Lily had thought about going for tact but Potter had annoyed her so much she decided to pull her wand out and put it to his chest.

"Give me my bag back or I'm going to hex you to oblivion and back!"

It didn't have the desired effect, instead he quirked his eyebrows and looked down at her wand.

"Do you even know how to use that?" Lily pressed the tip of her wand into his chest at the cheeky remark which made him wince and laugh at the same time.

"Ok, wrong thing to say."

"Where is my bag?"

"No please?"

"Now!" She said jabbing his chest with her wand.

"Why are you possessive over it?" Lily couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Because it's mine!" Lily said loudly. "How would you like it if I stole something of yours?!"

"Ha, like you could."

"Don't tempt me Potter." Lily said dangerously. Potter laughed and relaxed.

"I'm just having a little fun Evans." He said. "I haven't worked you up that much have I?" Lily narrowed her eyes.

"You have a twisted sense of humour." She replied.

"Evans, this won't solve anything." He placed his hands on her shoulders. Lily tensed up from the sudden contact. She could feel Goosebumps forming underneath her shit where his hands where. His hands then ghosted down her sides. Lily dropped her want for a moment but that was all he needed. Quick as a flash he span them round so now he had her pinned up against the wall and her wand on the floor.

"You're good Evans." He whispered. "But sometimes you lack conviction." Lily's brain couldn't form a coherent sentence and her breath got lost in her mouth while her face flushed. Potter then moved away from her quickly, the previous heat coming from him replaced with a swooping cold sensation that made Lily breathe in deeply from the weird stimulation she was feeling.

By the time she found her bearings again Potter was at the end of the hall. Lily felt the anger flow back through her, at him and herself. Him for taking her bag, and her for falling for such a cheap trick. Forgetting her things she sprinted forward from the wall towards him. By the time she got to the end of the corridor and looked up the stairs he was already gone.

Lily took another deep breathe, her mind all over the place, her body in completely different place. She stomped back to the wall and picked up her belongings and walked briskly back up the stairs to their next lessons which was thankfully charms.

Everyone had just finished filing in when Lily got to the classroom so she was able to slip in unnoticed. She got to her desk and saw her charms book on the table next to Dorcas who was getting her things out.

Lily approached the book with a surprised look.

"Dorcas, where did that book come from?" Dorcas turned and looked at the book.

"It was already here when I sat down." Lily opened the book.

 _Property of Lily Evans._

Lily took out the parchment inside and opened it. A smiley face that winked at her. Lily's head shot round to Potter who was sat with Lupin and didn't take even the slightest bit of notice at her. Lily wanted to slam the book on the ground.

"Oh my god, is that yours?" Lily nodded. She angrily pulled her seat out and threw herself into it and dragged it forward to show her displeasure and rage.

"How can you be friends with that reprobate?" Lily snapped. "He's playing me like a damn fool!"

"He's…difficult." Dorcas said with a grimace. Lily rested her elbows on the table in front of her and placed her head on her arms.

"How do I get back at him?" Lily asked herself more than anyone.

"Steal his bag?" Dorcas offered.

"No, it has to be smarter than him." Lily looked up from her arms. She then perked up a little. "Maybe I can steak his broomstick." Dorcas went wide eyed.

"No, Lily, no, just no! James would….god I don't know what he'd do to you if he found out you stole his broom." Lily smirked to herself.

"No, I forbid you from stealing his broom." Dorcas said matter-of-factly. "Look, I'll go have a word with him afterward, ok." Lily frowned and slumped forward again.

"Fine." She mumbled. Professor Flitwick then got to his pulpit and the lesson started.

* * *

Lily sat down in the great hall and let out a loud moan. She slumped forward and rested her head on her outstretched arms. She was no closer to finding out where Potter was hiding her bag and all her school supplies from the day's lesson she had to haul around with her. How, how was he still one step ahead of her the entire time.

"Lily? Are you ok?" Lily looked up and saw Sev looking down at her.

"No Sev, no I'm not ok." Lily said picking herself up.

"Potter has stolen my bag." She said pointing out of the great hall. "Do I know where? No of course I don't because he's seems to of hidden it somewhere. Do you the professor's care? No, of course they don't because I don't have any proof that he's stolen it!" Lily slumped forward on the desk again.

"He out witting me at every turn Sev. What do I do? How do I get my bag back?" Sev was scowling at her.

"Wait here, I'll get your bag back."

"Dorcas tried and failed Sev, I doubt you can." By the time she looked up he had gone. Lily blinked at the door.

"Oh no…." She got up to her feet and ran towards the door.

"No, no, no, no!"

"James just give it back to her, she getting stressed over the whole thing."

James looked up at Dorcas who was standing before him with folded arms looking down at him. James was sitting by the birch tree with his friends sitting around the trunk. He was floating Evans's bag with his wand.

"It's just a little fun Dorc. Tell her to lighten up."

"No, it wasn't fun before but now you need to stop." James sighed and leaned back against the tree trunk.

"Fine." He said around a sigh.

"Potter!" Everyone turned round to see Snape coming up towards them.

"What does he want?" Sirius asked.

"Maybe Evans got her second lap dog to get her bag back."

"I'm not her lap dog!" Dorcas gritted out.

"What is it snivelbee?" James asked loudly.

"Lily's bag." Snape said pointing at the satchel. "Give it back to me."

"Uhm, Severus." Dorcas stepped forward. "I've already got it back for her. You don't need to-"

"No, I'm getting it back for her." Snape snapped back. His eyes boring into James. "From him."

Dorcas looked back at James, expecting him to at least look amused at what Snape had said. Instead he rose to his feet with a weird look on his face. Like he was trying to figure something out. James put his wand in his pocket and the bag fell graciously into his hand. Just as he did so Evans came tearing up the hill.

"Severus!" Evans stopped when she saw Snape and Potter standing before her. "Oh will you two pack it in. Sev, Dorcas was getting it back for me."

"She doesn't need to." Snape gulped a little. "He was just about to hand it over." James laughed at his failed attempt at a bluff.

"To you?" James smirked. "Oh Snivelbee. If you want her you have to do better than that." Evans turned and glared at him.

"What did you say?"

"He'll have to try better than that." James said looking over at Evans.

"Expelliarmus!" The red light shot from Snape's wand. IN the blink of an eye James whipped his wand out.

"Protego!" James waved his curse away.

"Was that your best shot?" James asked round a laugh. "Jesus Snape you might as well throw some grass at me, you might actually hit me by surprise." Sirius and Peter laughed from the background while Remus rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Potter, shut up." Evans said exasperated.

"Well I was going to give you your bag back to Dorcas but thanks to your little gal pal there." He said pointing at Snape. "I think I'll keep it a little while longer."

"You wouldn't dare." Lily said narrowing her eyes at him.

"Try me." Potter said in a cocky tone.

"James maybe you should tone it down a bit." Remus said uneasily. "Just give Lily her bag back."

"Finally, one of you who speak some sense." Lily said pointing at Remus. "Listen to him and give me my bag back." James quirked his eyebrows.

"Give it back!" Yelled Lily. Potter just smirked and took a couple of steps back, he swung the satchel around his finger.

"Fine." He said in a pleasant tone. Lily looked sceptically, at him, even in the short time she had known that nothing with him was ever that simple, and that smirk just brewed one thing in that irritating thought in his head.

Trouble.

"Well then." Said Lily taking a couple of steps forward to retrieve it. Potter though threw it up in the air. He span around and placed his arm up. The satchel fell down gracefully on to his arm, he then shrugged his shoulder so it landed.

"Have to catch me first." he said. He then ran off in to the castle. Why did she think he'd come quietly.

"Potter!" Lily then ran after him.

"Lily! Don't!" shouted Dorcas.

"Just get someone and follow me!" Lily shouted back. She skidded into the castle and just saw the corner of her satchel fly up the staircase. Lily ran and effortlessly turned the corner before taking the spiral staircase two at a time.

The blood and adrenaline running through her veins where making everything seem more exciting. In fact she could feel her lips taking an upward turn at the chase. She dodged a couple of people walking down the staircase who were still looking presumably looking at Potter, She knew she was on the right trial.

She then passed one boy who was looking down a corridor.

"Did potter go down there?" she asked.

"Yeah, Lily." he said.

"Great, thanks!" Lily span on her heel and skidded into the corridor. She could see Potter at the end of the corridor looking at her with a smile on his lips. He gauged her and then ran off up the stairs. Lily grunted in frustration and then ran off after him. She side stepped a couple of people and skidded to the stair case he was at and ran back up it.

Her legs were starting to get tired, but she was so close now, if she had to hazard a guess. He was going to the astronomy tower, why would he go there? He would have no way down. Lily smirked to herself. She had him cornered now.

Lily got to the top and skidded into the main observation tower where Potter was standing. He was on the main walkway near to central pillar of the room. She wind from the outside was blowing through the three huge archways. Lily looked down below them at the tables and telescopes below them.

She looked to the right. She had the staircase covered and so he couldn't get passed her. She looked forward at him. He looked calm, serene, like he didn't have a care in the world.

"You have nowhere to run, Potter." Said Lily walking slowly towards him. "You're cornered, now hand me over the bag."

Potter just looked over the other side of the walkway and back at Lily. Lily didn't know why he was looking over the side, he had nowhere to run to.

"Potter." He just smirked.

"No." he said. "I think I want to hold onto it or a little longer." Lily laughed and shook her head.

"Look around you Potter, you're cornered, I've beaten you." Now he laughed. He stood easily and placed his hands in his pockets.

"You don't know me very well do you." he said. He took a step back towards the central pillar in the room. Lily stepped forward to compensate.

"I don't really plan to." Said Lily. "Now hand it over!"

"Maybe you should know this then." He said taking slow steps back. "That no matter how bad it looks, no matter how much you think you've got me cornered. I always have a backup plan."

"Not this time." said Lily shaking her head. "You are coming with me."

"No." Potter's back hit the centre pillar. "I'm not." He then elbowed the pillar and a doorway opened up. Lily sprang forward to try and stop him but he had already gone down the mysterious doorway. As quickly as it had come it then re-sealed itself. Lily stopped by the pillar and ran her palm over it, trying to figure out how Potter had used it for his escape.

"No, no I was so close!" said Lily as she tried frantically to get the pillar to open.

"Hey Evans!" Lily stopped and turned to one of the huge archway windows. It was Potter's voice. Lily ran over to archway and stopped on the edge, the wind blowing her hair across her as she looked down and saw Potter below her waving.

"Better luck next time." he called before strolling away. Lily's breath out was more defeat as Dorcas and Marlene came up to the observation deck, still carrying her school supplies.

"Lily?" They didn't approach her. "Lily want happened?" Lily shook her head, how could she of been outwitted by something so simple, of course he wanted her up here. Why else would he lead her up here?

Lily then smiled as she watched him walk away. That was one hell of a trick to know.

* * *

Lily walked around defeated for the rest of the day. She was so close to getting him and now she was no better. Every trap he'd set she'd gone and fallen into like some rookie amateur. He was right, she didn't know him at all, and yet he seemed to have a good idea about what made her tick.

Her friends had tried their best to cheer her up but they couldn't. This wasn't an issue over the bag, it was material and could be replaced, it was more her pride that was dented and why it was so hard to accept.

Lily walked heavily to base of the birch tree and then slumped down with her head in her knees. She had been so close to getting him in the astronomy tower, and then he pulled that out of the fire. That was one of the most impressive tricks she'd ever seen. And it didn't include magic. Lily didn't know what she was going to do now, maybe she would just ask her mum to get her a new satchel.

Lily looked up and then saw it in front of her, dangling. Lily got to her feet and went to snatch it. It then moved to the left, and then to the right. Lily went to grab it again but it then ascended into the sky. Lily looked up and saw Potter dangling it with his wand. She breathed out in annoyance and looked up at him with a scowl on her face.

"Hey there red." He said leaning back on the trunk. Lily was too tired to fight now, she just wanted to be rid of him and his little game.

"Potter can I please have my bag back?" she asked tiredly. He pondered it for a second. He'd better, because Lily was ready to use a cutting curse on the branch he was sitting on.

"Here you go." He dropped it from his perch and into her grateful grasp. She then looked up at him with the same annoyed expression. This didn't make any sense what so ever.

"Why so easy now?" He shrugged, still not looking at her.

"I suppose since you asked so nicely this time it was hard to say no." said Potter.

"Because I asked you nicely?" said Lily in a now angry tone. "You put me through hell today because I wouldn't ask you nicely?"

"Manners cost you nothing yet get you everywhere in this life, Evans." Said Potter. "And let's face it, it wasn't hell, though you would never admit it to me I bet you enjoyed it." He was right of course but he could never know that.

The cat and mouse game had been loads of fun, trying to outwit him, and failing for her most part. But she would be lying if she said to herself that she didn't.

"No, I didn't." said Lily. "It was immature and inconvenient for you to just commandeer my bag for the day for your amusement."

"Well I had fun." Said Potter. "Besides, it wasn't all for nothing, there's a small token in there for being a semi good sport." Lily looked up to see his expression, it would give her an idea of what to expect in there, but, he was gone. She looked around, but nothing, not even a trace.

"How does he do that?"

She looked at her satchel, it did feel a bit more weighty than usual. Lily carefully placed it on the ground. It had been in Potter's possession for the whole day, who knew what dangers could be lurking in there?

Lily gingerly walked towards it while pulling out her wand. She flipped the top off and peered inside. It was full of chocolate frogs. She couldn't help but smile and picked one out. She pulled out the string and caught the frog before it could escape and gobbled it up. She really did need that.

She picked the satchel up and swung it over her shoulder like he had during the day. She smiled to herself and walked back up to the common room.

"Are you feeling better dear?" asked The fat lady when she got to the common room.

"Yeah, I think I'll be fine." Said Lily nodding her head.

"I know he can be a pain in the A, his dad was the same, but you can power on through." Lily laughed.

"He's nothing I can't handle." Said Lily. "Annoying today but probably quiet tomorrow." The fat lady raised an eyebrow.

"If you say so." She opened the door and Lily strolled inside. There was the usual group of year clusters doing their homework, but Lily was going to put this somewhere far out of Potter's reach.

She rushed up the stairs and went into her room where Dorcas, Marlene and Sarah where sitting on her bed.

"Lily!" said Marlene excitedly. "The details are sketchy but we have an idea on how to get your bag back from Potter."

"You don't need to." Said Lily closing the door behind her. She took the bag off her shoulder and threw it over Dorcas's head into the middle of her bed. They all looked back at her.

"Did he get bored or did you get it back?" asked Dorcas.

"He gave it back to me." Said Lily taking her shoes and socks off.

"Just like that?" asked Dorcas.

"Well that's nice." Said Sarah.

"It was a pain in the arse." Said Lily as she sat down on the bed to join her friends. "But he did compensate me somehow."

"With what?" Lily leaned over and emptied the bag of frogs onto the bed to gasps from her friends.

"Can he nick my bag?" asked Sarah.

"Well girls. Looks like the treats are on Potter tonight." Said Marlene.

* * *

Lily opened her eyes and stretched and turned to look at her clock. She still had an hour in bed. She smiled and turned over to make use of that hour. Her body though, had different ideas.

"I do not need to pee." She said softly to herself. "I do not need to pee. I am the master of my own bladder." Her bladder though was fit to burst. She mentally cursed herself and got up. She pulled back her curtains and walked to the toilet yawning on her way.

She went inside, did her business, and went to wash her hands. She got to the sink, washed her hands, and went to splash water on her face. She let the warm water hit her face and then looked in the mirror.

The scream must have woken the whole of Hogwarts.

Lily was panting at the mirror running her hand over green boils all over her face. She inspected it in the mirror muttering what this was.

"Lily what the hell was that scream all about- OH MY GOD!" Dorcas had come bustling in and saw the state of her face to. Lily jumped back in shock because Dorcas was covered in them to.

"What are-"

"You have them to!" shouted Lily.

"What?"

"Look!" Dorcas ran to the mirror and emitted a scream to rival Lily's. Then two more from the bedroom next door.

"Are you two-" Marlene and Sarah looked in, the same green boils on their faces. "What happened?"

"Don't panic. Don't panic. We can figure this out." Said Lily pacing.

"What the hell are they?" asked Marlene. She ran a finger over it but quickly pulled it away.""

"What are you all screaming about?" Isabel popped her head round the door and saw the boils. But she was covered in them to. She started to laugh uncontrollably, side splitting laughter.

"What happened to you four?"

"Same as you chuckles." Said Dorcas pointing at her. The colour drained from Isabel's face and she ran to the mirror and saw the boils over her skin. She cried out in horror, her fingers running tentatively over her skin while sobbing in the mirror.

"What, what was this?" she said. "How did we all get them?"

"What about the other two." Said Lily. "Have they got them?" The each looked at one another and made for the door. Isabel got there first and went straight to Jessica's bed. She pulled back the curtains and leaped onto the bed.

"Isabel? What are you doing?" she shrieked.

"She has them to!" shouted Isabel. "Check Mary!" Lily pulled the curtains back and saw Mary sitting up in bed, with no boils.

"Why don't you have any boils!" she shouted.

"Wha?"

"The boils Mary!" she shouted pointing to her own. "Why don't you have any?" Mary was now fully awake and recoiled in horror.

"What the hell happened to your faces!" she shouted.

"That's what where trying to figure out." Said Dorcas as Lily leaped from the bed and began to pace the room.

"Are those boils?"

"No it's the new thing, of course there fucking boils!" shouted Marlene.

"What are we going to do?" said Isabel. "The whole school is going to laugh at us. Were never going to be able to show our faces here again!"

"Stop over reacting!" said Dorcas. "One of us is going to have to go to the hospital wing and get a remedy."

"With these!" said Jessica pointing to her face, "Maybe you can go since you don't care."

"Well maybe we'll say too there's a cupcake there waiting and you'll run there so fast it'll be a blur!" said Dorcas.

"What did you say you bimbo!" Lily was ignoring the argument. She was pacing up and down by her bed, trying to figure out what could have cause these. It wasn't something in the air, otherwise Mary would have been affected to. Maybe something in her ink, no that was way too farfetched.

Something they touched? Something in the sheets? Something they ate?

… Lily's mouth dropped open.

"Well at least I never had a stupid crush on-"

"Mary, did you eat one of my chocolate frogs?!" Asked Lily urgently. Everyone stopped and looked at the only no boiled girl in the room. Mary looked nervously at everyone.

"N-no." she said. "Thanks for leaving me one but I can't eat chocolate, I have Crohn's disease and it sets me off." Lily then turned to Isabel and Jessica.

"Did you have one?" she asked.

"Yeah." Lily looked to Jessica who nodded. Lily then looked to Dorcas who placed her palm over her mouth.

Lily's hand formed into a fist and where shaking in anger.

"Lily-"

"POTTER!"

* * *

James opened his eyes and looked over at Sirius who had woken to at the sound of would only be described as a screech.

"Did you hear something?" asked Sirius. James looked over at the door.

"Nah, it's probably nothing." Said James waving his arm dismissively and rolling back over.

 **The Marauders Proudly Present James Potter and Lily Evans In: The Marauders: Year Two.**

 **Chapter Twenty Five.**

 **A Unique Type Of…**

 **Written By Chambers 10**


	26. Chapter 26

**The Marauder Proudly Present Alec Potter in the Marauders Year Two**

 **Chapter Twenty Six**

 **A Day in the Life**

 **Written By Chambers10**

The ice hit the bottom of the glass. Then the sweet bourbon hit the glass and filled up so sweetly and elegantly.

"Leave the bottle." The barman looked at Alec for a second before deciding that he wasn't drunk enough. He slid the bottle over and then Alec slid a few galleons across the bar. Alec downed the sweet liquor and then looked across again.

How the hell could he be missing work again? This was one of the most dangerous professions in the world, and here he was with a free way out and he wasn't thinking of taking it, no wonder Katherine was pissed at him. He looked across the bar. A young woman was looking at him, she was thin, attractive, a very nice cleavage and flowing blonde hair. She looked at Alec and smiled at him.

Alec looked away and smirked to himself. Even after all these years he still had it. The woman finished her drink and walked over. She walked nicely in heels, not many women know how to nowadays thought Alec. She was wearing a body hugging dress with a plunging thigh gap.

"A bit late for a man to be drinking alone." She said. She sat next to Alec and tossed her hair back. Alec didn't know why James had a thing for blondes, but with the drink in him, it suddenly felt curiosity.

"A lot later for a woman to proposition such a man." Said Alec as the woman sat down next to him. She laughed and tossed her hair back again.

"I don't deny that." She said. "So, why don't you tell me, who I'm propositioning?"

"Run along." Said Alec knocking back another drink. "You don't want to know me."

"I think I do." She said. "Dark mysterious stranger walks with a look like he's seen a thousand battles." Alec laughed slightly, he poured himself another drink.

"A few more than that." He said.

"So, what are you?" she asked. "You're pretty buff and old to be just an enforcer."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, though it sounds nice." Said Alec.

"You're an Auror." She said smiling. "Explains why you're so mysterious." She shuffled closer to him. "Does that mean I could get in with these detective skills?" she asked.

"No." said Alec, glass still in his mouth.

"That was very abrupt." She said. "Don't you want to see what else I can do?" She looked down her body and back at him.

"Tempting." He said pouring another glass. "But not interested." He said downing it in one go.

"Besides, I'm waiting for someone." He said patting files next to him.

"You Auror's are all the same." She said getting up. "Rude, and obnoxious."

"Comes with the training." Said Alec pouring another glass. She rolled her eyes and walked out while Alec sat chuckling to himself in his chair.

"Still got it after all those years." Alec looked up and Michael O'Leary sat down next to him and picked up the bottle, he let out a low whistle.

"Johnnie Walker Platinum." He said, "And nearly half the bottles gone. Rough day?"

"Rough month." Said Alec. "I have what we discussed." He patted the files.

"You know, you would make a brilliant cleaner and P.I." he said. "If you ever consider a change of profession."

"I think we both now that's not my style." Said Alec. "Have a drink." O'Leary signalled the barman. He came over and poured out a gin and tonic and walked away.

"How's medical leave treating you?" asked O'Leary. "If you've actually been taking any."

"It's boring as hell and I need to keep myself occupied." He said. "I'm open as a P.I but not a as a cleaner."

"So, what have you found out about this guy? The one muscling in?"

"He's got backing I'll give him that." Said Alec. "Since Murdoch has been in prison it's created a huge vacuum for this illicit trade."

"Which we've been hypothetically-"

"Hypothetically expanding." Finished Alec, "But he seems to have picked up all the old contacts and filled it really quickly."

"So why hasn't he come to us then?" asked O'Leary.

"He's consolidating." Said Alec drinking again.

"Do we know his name?" asked O'Leary. Alec placed the glass down.

"His name is Tom Riddle." Said Alec. "Left Hogwarts at eighteen, mostly exceed expectations in his exams. He applied for the defence against the dark arts position at Hogwarts not long after. But was rejected on the count of his age."

"Ok, what about afterwards?" asked O'Leary looking through the folder.

"After he went travelling around the world, mostly African countries where they specialise in Voodoo and black magic in controlling people."

"Mind control?" Alec nodded.

"A particular aptitude in controlling animals." Said Alec. "Which makes his moves to the beasts all the more worrying."

"You think he'd go that far?" asked O'Leary. "Ok, where did he go after Africa?"

"He spent time in eastern Europe." Said Alec, "Mainly Albania but there are rumours he's spent time with Dracula in Romania."

"So he's been about. This guy looks like he's been practicing the dark arts for a while." Said O'Leary. "Do you think this is the one Murdoch was trying to gain information from?"

"That wouldn't surprise me." Said Alec. "But, it's his muggle background that had me more interested."

"How so?"

"The kids a little psychopath." Said Alec. "He was abandoned at an orphanage at few days old. He was then constantly punished at the same place for thieving and assaults. On one trip to Cornwall he was caught torturing two small boys in an abandoned cave."

"What happened to the boys?"

"Alive and well." Said Alec. "When he went to Hogwarts, in his first year he was disciplined for the fighting. As he got older they got more infrequent, and then virtually none in his last year."

"And then he went in his travels." Said O'Leary having a drink. "What do you think he's going to do next?"

"It doesn't matter what I think." Said Alec.

"It will when they send you to deal with It." said O'Leary. "Come on, if you where this guy, getting a foothold in the business, what would you do next?"

"Wait." Said Alec.

"Why wait?"

"Because with Murdoch dead he's left a huge power vacuum." Explained Alec. "Now you, have some smaller gangs and Dracula that are consolidating, he's waiting to see who can be picked off the easiest."

"Because that's what you would do." Said O'Leary chuckling.

"It's what anyone who's smart would do." Said Alec, "You watch, he'll make his move when the time is right for him. Until then." He patted the file.

"Find whatever you need to keep him quiet."

"He's recruiting some big hitters." Said O'Leary. "I heard he's propositioned the Blacks to join him. That would be some serious money and influence behind him. I heard he's already has the Malfoys on payroll." Alec looked up at him.

"Really?"

"According to my informant they have." Said O'Leary. "Do you reckon he might go for you?"

"If he had sense he would try and proposition my brother." Said Alec holding the glass to his lips.

"The alcoholic or the stiff?"

"The stiff." Said Alec. He wouldn't he overly surprised if Tim already knew about Tom Riddle. A necessary evil he would call him, one that doesn't cause too much trouble and could be useful in time. Alec didn't believe in such things, even though, the only reason he was still alive was because he was deemed to be a valuable asset.

"Can you see that happening?"

"…No." said Alec downing his drink. "But I might have a word with him anyway."

"That might not come soon enough, little brother." Alec sighed and slumped on the bar as Tim came striding in.

"I did say for them to use a red head to try and lure you out, you always did have a weakness for them. Or, maybe I should of had her dress up as a stripper."

"What do you want?" asked Alec. "I'm having a drink with an old friend." Tim turned his nose up as he looked at O'Leary.

"My apologise." He said. "How is medical leave treating you?"

"Very well." Said Alec. "Gives me time to meet up with." He motioned to O'Leary. "Old friends."

"And do some work for them I believe." O'Leary was just about to snap the file away before Time brought his umbrella tip down on it and sliding it over towards him.

"Besides, your leave is cancelled." Said Tim. Alec turned back to look at him with a sly smile.

"Oh, so, who's messing with you now, big brother?" asked Alec. Tim looked to O'Leary and then back to Alec who was still grinning at him.

"Maybe that's something we should discuss in private." Said Tim. "It is very sensitive information." O'Leary laughed and stood up.

"You really do have a weird family." He said, "I thought my life was strange."

"Comes with the territory. Say hello to that chaser for me." Said Alec standing up to.

"How the hell do you?" Alec raised his eyebrow. "Point taken." He said. "Until next time."

"Until next time." said Alec walking out. "Come on Timmy." He said patting his brother on the shoulder. "Let's go fight some monsters." Tim straightened his suit jacket and followed his brother out into the street where his car was waiting.

"Can't we floo?" asked Alec looking at the Jaguar.

"This is being dealt with the upmost discretion little brother." Said Tim. "This enemy of interest has eyes everywhere." Alec rolled his eyes.

"Fine." He said walking to the car and opening the door. Tim followed him in and closed the door. The car roared into life and then pulled away from square.

Alec looked around the car interior that was always clean to within an inch of its life. It was always a reminder of his youth when he was bundled into one of these cars. Old memories die hard.

"It does certainly say a lot about you that you now have drinks with you old enemies." Said Tim. "I thought you were enemies."

"Times and circumstance change." Said Alec. "Maybe you should think about making friends."

"Of course, because your all into that now." said Tim with a smug smile. "'Making friends'. As if your old enemies will show you any loyalty." Alec looked at the lights passing by.

"Has it ever accrued to you that it's about more than that." Said Alec. "Companionship."

"Like that muggle you go drinking with as well." Said Tim looking at his nails. "You really are expanding your social circle."

"So I'm breaking the mould in making friends from outside the social circle." Said Alec. "Maybe you should to. You never know, you might find a life outside your little bubble."

"Oh, and always be happy like you are." Said Tim. "I'm not lonely little brother." She said looking out his window. "Just set in my ways."

"Heh, how would you know?" asked Alec. Tim looked over at Alec with a funny look before looking to the driver as they sped through London.

The car made a left and they descended into an underground carpark which was brightly lit and made Alec wince slightly. The car turned and then stopped. Tim opened his door, Alec did to and then followed his brother towards an Elevator. When it opened it showed off a fancy interior with a gold mirror, deep red wall paper and carpeted floor with a fancy light hanging down.

They stepped inside, Alec looked over and saw Tim place a key into a slot on the console and turned it. A light lit up which then made the lift lurch into life. The doors closed and then moved up.

Alec wondered where he was exactly, it wasn't the ministry, and he would recognise such a god awful lift. He could be in Whitehall, but his brother would have just brought him the assignment otherwise. So…he was in Downing Street. He was going meet the Prime minister. This really was serious if he was being called here, and to get his brother to bring him in. Maybe it was something he would need convincing to do.

The lift stopped and opened up. The hallway was decked out the same as the lift, even down to the wall paper. Tim checked his watch and then moved forward.

"Where are we?" asked Alec putting his hands in his trouser pockets and following him.

"You're the world's greatest detective." Said Tim. "You figure it out." They reached the end of the corridor and where faced with a large oak door. Tim checked his watch again and then banged on the door with his umbrella.

"Enter." Tim opened the door and showed Alec inside who followed him. They were inside a large office with open fire place which was lit. The room was filled with bookshelves and a big desk at the end of the room by the only window in the room that over looked London. Alec turned to Tim who had now closed the door and turned on a dimmer switch which lit up the room slightly.

Over on the other side of the room a door on the other side opened and The Prime Minister, Edward Heath walked in along with the Home Secretary, Reginald Maulding and the Foreign Minister, Alec Douglas-Home as well as the Minster for magic.

"Ah, Timothy." Said Heath, "Is this the man?"

"Yes Prime Minister." Said Tim. "Prime Minister, I'd like to introduce to you my younger brother, Alec Charlus Potter."

"Mr Potter." Heath said shaking his hand, "It is an honour, both Rufus and Tim have told us about you exemplary record."

"Well it's very nice and all that." Said Alec. "But I'd like to know why I'm here?"

"Ah, straight to business." Said Heath. "Well Mr Potter, where here to talk about a very delicate matter."

"I'm guessing it's big considering that the big hitters from both the muggle and magical government are here." Said Alec.

"You'd be right." Said Maulding. "Where here because where going to ask you to do something that this government has authorised officially since the Second World War." Alec looked to Tim who looked down.

"So this is a magical issue." Said Alec.

"And one that has affected us abroad." Said Douglas-Home. "Tell me Mr Potter, what do you know about Dracula?" Alec raised his eyebrow and looked at all the men in the room.

"Dracula?" he said.

"According to your people he's becoming a problem that soon will affect everyone." Said Heath. "He's killing more and more people and we can't stop him, all our envoys have failed."

"He's risen again after spending the last fifty or so years on ice. Of course he's going to be pissed." Alec said folding his arms.

"Where's Gamine, wouldn't he want to be vetted on this?"

"Secretary Gamine thinks the enforcers are still the answer to this problem." Rufus Henley. "We sent a team of them lead by Rufus Sigemour. But his team was wiped out forty eight hours after they arrived in Romania with Rufus now missing presumed dead."

"Do you have any idea who waked him up?" Alec asked.

"We are still looking into it." Tim said.

"You told me it was impenetrable." Alec said rounding on his brother. "After going to all the trouble of finding that bloody skull."

"Like you could have looked after it better." Tim shot back.

"Considering that where I wanted it, yeah, I would off." Alec said shaking his head. "So what exactly do you want me to do?"

"Alec, we want you to kill Dracula." There a muted silence around the room that Alec could pick up on.

"Kill Dracula." Said Alec. "Are you serious?"

"Very Serious." Said Tim. "He has become a problem, a problem that we now need you to deal with, you know, being a special asset."

"You want it contained?"

"Not contained." Douglas Home interjected. "Terminated." Alec looked up at the men before him.

"Why, why now?" He asked. "There must be something or you would of asked me at Christmas when we first knew he was back."

"The muggles have detected that some of their best and brightest engineers have gone missing since Christmas." Tim explained. "When we investigated we found a common fibre which lead us to Vampires."

"Bodies?"

"Of the families but not of the individuals." Maudling explained. "These are the top engineers from the top firms, Boeing, Rolls Royce, BAE Systems."

"What do they have to do with Dracula?"

"Alec, do you know why we sent Edward Stone after Dracula?" Tim asked.

"To stop Dracula." Alec replied. "To stop him from sending Vampires to Britain." Tim nodded.

"Dracula had courted and hired Dr Victor Frankenstein Junior to recreate his father's machine, which, according to Stone, he had, but for a different reason."

"That reason being?"

"We never confirmed it but Dracula's brides had given birth to thousands of Vampires that he wanted to bring to life using Frankenstein's Machine." Tim said gravely. "We're thinking that Dracula is going to try again, and he's kidnapped these engineers to make this machine operational again."

"You're sure?"

"It's just a theory."

Alec walked to the window of the office and looked out on the city. Maybe Dracula was working on this machine of his right now, maybe by the time he does something it might already be too late.

"Do you think you can kill him?" Heath asked.

"Dracula is the living embodiment of death." Alec explained. "You cannot kill what is already dead."

"So how do we stop him?" Heath asked.

"That I don't know." Said Alec turning back round. "But I'll find out. What you need to do is find somewhere secure to leave his remains when I bring him back. Because there are people out there who might want to control him as well."

"And you know these people?" Heath asked.

"The devil you know." Said Alec. "You do realise Dracula could be replaced by something much worse that you don't even realise."

"Well, thanks to you, we now know." Said Tim holding up Alec's file on Tom Riddle. "Good to see that you can be of some use, even when inactive."

"Although we know about Tom Riddle he doesn't present such an immediate threat as Dracula." Said Maulding.

"I bet he doesn't." said Alec.

"Dracula threatens to destroy the whole world." Said Maudling.

"Oh and then that's it?" Alec said mockingly. "After Dracula there's no one else in the world who wants to destroy or take over the world. There's always someone else to threaten the world." Alec finished on a serious tone. "It's why the Auror's are here."

"So you promise us that you'll stop Dracula." Douglas Home asked.

"I don't promise anything." Said Alec. "But if you still want to do this then you risk maybe accelerating his plans. And I can't guarantee that there will be a corpse at the end of it."

"Except maybe yours." Said Tim.

"Maybe." Said Alec. "But I doubt it. So, now that you know all the variables, do you still want me to go, or do you want to think on it?"

"I think we need more time." said Heath.

"No Prime Minister, I think we should go ahead with the mission as planned." Said Tim.

"You may be part of the Establishment but you don't make the final decisions when it comes to this sort of thing." Said Henley. "Alec's right, this could end up back firing."

"I agree." Said Maulding. "We need more information if it's to go ahead." Heath looked at Alec.

"How soon can you be ready to go?" he asked.

"Twenty four hours." Said Alec. "But I need an answer soon." He stood up and walked from behind the desk and went to stride out of the office.

"Wait!" Alec stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"Can you at least try?" asked Heath. Alec nodded.

"I'll be out in Romania in two days." Said Alec. "If you need any more info, contact my brother."

Alec turned on his heel and apparated away. He ended up though outside a pub in Sheffield. The one John Evans brought him to. Why did he think of here. When he last came here, he thought of it as a real heaven. He laughed to himself and pushed the door open where all the occupants were laughing and joking. Alec weaved his way to the front to the barman who smiled warmly at him under his bushy moustache.

"What can I get for you sir?" he asked.

"A pint of that really nice dark ale please." Said Alec.

"Right you are sir." He said going to get a glass. Alec picked up a newspaper on the side of the bar and looked at the front page that was about a mining strike while in the corner was a story about a missing engineer who had murdered his family. No doubt Tim's influence on the story. Alec's eyes flickered up to the barman who had just finished pulling his pint.

Alec swore and then went to check his pockets, he hadn't brought any muggle money with him. He was really looking forward to that pint as well. He sighed and resigned to the fact he would never get it. The barman came over and placed the cold glass in front of him.

"That'll be twelve pence." The barman said.

"Ah, listen, I-"

"What he means Tom is that this round is on me." John Evans placed the money down and then sat down next to Alec.

"Right you are John." The barman said walking away. Close shave thought Alec.

"I told you once you went ale everything would go stale." Said John. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to have a drink." Said Alec. "I just had a conversation with my brother and I needed a big one."

"I didn't know you had a brother?" said John.

"I have two." Said Alec. "Ones a stiff that works for the Government while the others an alcoholic that lives out in Hawaii."

"Your parents have a lot to answer for." Said John.

"Yeah, I guess they do." Said Alec. "But I really liked it last time I was here, it was friendly, had a nice atmosphere and did one hell of a pint."

"Everything you need in Yorkshire." Said John. "So what did your brother want?" Alec drank some more.

"He cancelled my medical leave and gave me a new assignment." Said Alec.

"And you drink every time you get a new one?" asked John.

"No, I was meeting a friend for a drink when my brother ambushed me." Said Alec. "So I've thought why not get drunker after I've been told to kill Dracula." Both men were quiet for a moment while John took the information in.

"Kill Dracula?" said John finally.

"Yeah." Said Alec looking down at his drink. "Sounds stupid now I think about it."

"There really is a Dracula." Said John. "Like, a vampire." Alec nodded.

"Oh yeah. Now I have to kill him." John sighed and both men drank.

"So, what, are you going to do now?" asked John. Alec downed the rest of his pint.

"Honestly, I need to go home and prepare for this mission, make up something that might stop a vampire." Said Alec. "Then find out where Dracula is."

"How do you know where to start?" John asked. Alec looked down at the bottom of his glass.

"I know a guy."

"Not a lot then?" said John. Alec laughed.

"Thanks for the pint." Said Alec getting up and putting his coat on. "I'll get you one when I'm next in town."

"Not a long visit then."

"I have work to do now." Alec replied. "Which seems weird because it's all I've been doing and not doing for the last four months."

"You need to stay and enjoy yourself." John said summoning the barman over. "The way I see it you need to prepare yourself for your next….whatever it is your doing. And the best way to do that is having a drink. Normally we all get our best ideas after a drink."

"I normally work well when sober." Alec said looking to the window.

"You can't go home sober in Yorkshire." Explained John, he then ordered another drink. "I found that out the hard way when I moved up from the south." When looking out the window Alec saw a car parked out front. It was a Jaguar.

Alec shook his head and picked it up. "Sure, why not?"

* * *

"I love Yorkshire." Said Alec as he and John walked out an hour later. "My dad wanted to live up here when he retired."

"Why didn't he?" asked John.

"My mum." Said Alec. "She wanted to stay down south. He bought a place."

"Where?"

"On the dales?" said Alec. "Beautiful place." He stretched, and clicked his back. "But I think the place is derelict now."

"Shame." Said John.

"Hey!" Both Alec and John turned round to see a gang of men emerge from the darkness of an alley way. "Haven't got some spare change have you?"

"Yeah, sure." John went to his inside pocket but Alec stopped him.

"No."

"What?" Alec squinted at the gang of men.

"Yeah, old man, what's your problem?" Alec let go of John and walked forward.

"They want to mug us."

"Them?" John asked pointing at them. "How do you know?" Alec's eyes scanned over them.

"They all have their hands in their pockets." Alec began, "It's a warm night, why do they need to be? Sensitive hands maybe but the bulges are pointed, so there carrying a sharp object. Probably a knife."

The men all looked at each other in disbelief.

"Next time guys, don't try and mug someone in a group by being polite. Jump um, the element of surprise."

"Should you really be giving them advice?" John asked.

"Oh there going to let us go." Alec said. "They don't have the balls."

"I don't think so." The lead one said. The four of them walked round slowly so they surrounded John and Alec. They were all tall and mean looking while cracking their knuckles.

"I've never been in a fight like this." Said John.

"How manys the most?" asked Alec.

"Two." Said John. "What about you?" Alec took his arm off John.

"Three hundred." Said Alec. "Watch and learn." Alec cracked his neck and walked towards them. Alec smirked.

The main man went for the punch. Alec dodged the swing, placed a hand on his wrist and then with his other hand punched through his elbow. He screamed in pain and fell to the floor. Alec slipped a wingding into his hand and then threw it at one of the men who had pulled a knife. It smacked his wrist and he dropped it. Alec ran over, grabbed him by the shoulders and kneed him in the head. He then round house kicked him into a wall.

Alec then turned to the other two who looked shell shocked at what they had seen. Alec walked towards them slowly.

"You have two choices, run, or the same fate as those two." Explained Alec. "Now I've had a bad day, so which is it going to be?" He punched is fist into his other palm. "Please say two."

One ran while the other came towards him. Alec side stepped him, kicked him up into the air and then elbowed him into the pavement. Alec rubbed his elbow looking around at the lifeless bodies around him.

"Now I think about it, maybe you should have run out with your friend." Said Alec. He rotated his shoulder and walked towards John who had his mouth aghast.

"That was amazing." Said John. "I mean seriously, how did you do that?"

"In a pit in the Icelandic mountains." Said Alec. "Fun times."

"You really do go everywhere don't you." said John. "And here's me still here after all these years." Alec looked down at his feet as they walked through a more suburban area of Cokeworth.

"Don't sell your life short." Said Alec.

"Why not?" asked John.

"Because I would give anything to have the life that you have." Said Alec.

"You would?" Alec nodded.

"You have a beautiful house in one of the nicest places in the world." Said Alec. "You have a wonderful wife who loves and looks after you. Two beautiful girls who think the world of their father and a job where you know you'll come home every day."

"Trust me when I tell you, you have a life that would envy most men." Said Alec.

"I never thought of it that way." Said John. They got outside the Evans home.

"Thanks for the pint." Said Alec. "But I'll-"

"No." said John firmly. "No, you're going to stay here."

"Here?" Alec looked up at the house. "No, it's ok, I can apparate."

"I don't want to hear it, I'm pretty sure you people have laws against drink apperating." Said John walking up to the door and opening it. "Come on, you can use Lily's room." Alec followed him inside.

He looked around the small kitchen with the table in the middle of the room and thought about all the happy meal times they must have shared at the table.

They then walked into the hallway where there where photos hanging up on the walls of John and his family.

John then walked up the stairs where there were more pictures of the Evans family. Alec sighed on the inside. John then walked to a room at the end of the hall where there was a wooden plaque on the door with a picture of a Lily and the name in loopy hand writing.

"Should be nice and clean." Said Alec. "Lav always cleans it on a Friday." He opened the door and walked inside and turned on the light.

"Thanks." Said Alec. "It's fine."

"See you in the morning." Said John closing the door. Alec felt tired, he looked round at all the books on the shelf. He walked up the step to the bed and laid down on the bed. Within a minute, he was out.

* * *

Bird song. Bird song, and warm sunlight. Alec's eyes flickered open and the first thing he saw was a record player on the shelf. Alec closed his eyes and rolled over. He sat up and rubbed his head. God had last night really happened.

Alec got up and looked around the room. So this was Lily's Evans room. Alec walked over to a book shelf on the first tier of the room and looked down the titles. She really was a self-confessed bookworm. He then looked over at a dressing table which had pictures on it.

Alec moved over and looked at the photos. One was of Lily and Dorcas laughing at a part of the castle. It was a still photo, not a magical one.

"Proud of her roots." Alec muttered. He saw another of parts round the castle. And with her friends, most of which he didn't recognise. He then moved onto the last one at the corner of the page which had all of the Gryffindor year on it. Alec noticed that it was more finger worn than the rest, meant it had been touched more.

Alec picked it off the mirror and looked at the corner. It was faded, it had been taken off a lot. Placed it photo side down on the table and looked at the finger marks on it. Most of them centred on the bottom left of the picture. From the finger marks, it looked like it was held so she could focus on one person in the photo. From the way these marks where more consistent he would say that it was held this way often.

Now curious, Alec turned the photo over and held like Lily would, the noticeable difference being that Alec's hand was much bigger than Lily's. But the person she was noticing wasn't that different after all.

It was James.

"Huh." Alec looked at the photo again. He'd only ever seen them together once, when he went to James's dorm and saw her in their folding James clothes for him. Obviously the young witch had thought about him a lot over the summer. Though she would never admit it. Especially not to anyone who knew James anyway.

Alec placed the photo back on the dressing table mirror. What is it about Potters and red heads he wondered.

The sound of plates being moved came from downstairs. Alec looked up and now fully realised where he was. He went back up to the bed and pulled his coat off and then opened the door. Before he went out he looked around one last time.

Is this what Harriet's room would of looked like wondered Alec. It wasn't overly girly but at the same time you knew that it was a girl that lived in here. Alec frowned and then closed the door behind him. He walked down the hallway and down the stairs into the living room where there were more photos of the Evans family he hadn't noticed last night.

He walked into the hallway and could hear voices from behind the kitchen door.

"He just turned up and we had a couple of drinks." Said John. "It was a nice surprise really."

"Yes, but what was he doing in Sheffield though?" asked Lavender. "He's not on a mission is he?"

"No, he said he just had a meeting with his brother." Said John. "I wasn't going to ask questions, he stayed the night, probably knowing him he's already left."

"Wouldn't bet on that." Said Alec opening the door.

"Alec, so nice to see you again. So it was you who kept my husband out till the small hours." Said Lavender.

"The reverse actually." Said Alec.

"Would like tea or coffee?" asked Lavender.

"I really think I should get going." Said Alec. "But thanks for the offer."

"Nonsense." Said Lavender. "It's always been tradition that we have a cooked breakfast on a Saturday morning, and since you are our guest, you will have one to."

"Really I'm-"

"Don't bother." Said John. "She won't take no for an answer." Alec sighed.

"Ok, I'll have a black coffee." Lavender smiled and got on with making said coffee.

"Did you sleep ok?" asked Lavender, placing the coffee in front of Alec.

"Fine, thank you." said Alec taking a sip of the coffee, perfect. "I'm sorry if I've been a nuisance."

"Don't be stupid, of course you haven't." said Lavender. She was putting some fried eggs onto two plates and then placed them in front of Alec and John.

"Now, I wasn't sure what you liked, so I just gave you what John has." Alec looked down at the feast. He would certainly get used to this.

"This is brilliant, thank you." said Alec. Lavender sat down with her own bacon sandwich.

"So…what brings you round our neck of the woods?" asked Lavender. "Nothing sinister I hope?"

"No, no." said Alec sprinkling pepper onto his breakfast. "I had a meeting with my brother, it's always been hard work with him so I needed a drink. And I fancied a pint of that nice Ale John got me."

"You found him out of nostalgia then." Said Lavender.

"Something like that." Said Alec. "But I guess I'll be seeing my brother again before the days out."

"I'm guessing you're not popular then." Said John.

"No, but at this moment in time he needs me." Said Alec.

Breakfast was nice, it was nice just to have a nice conversation with friends, after what happened last night, he was happy. When they were finished Lavender took their plates to the side.

Lavender placed her cup down and looked outside.

"Something the matter?" asked John. Lavender went to speak but didn't.

"No, no it's nothing its fine." She said.

"What is it?" asked Alec. Lavender looked uneasily at the window and then back to the outside.

"There's a car outside." Said Lavender, "It's been outside for the since I got up."

"When was that?" asked Alec, knowing it was Tim outside waiting for him.

"Oh, about seven." Said Lavender.

"Let me guess. It's a Jaguar isn't it?" said Alec.

"Yes." said Lavender amazed, "How did you know?"

"Because it's my brother." Said Alec getting up.

"Oh." Said Lavender. She looked outside again. "That's a bit much isn't it."

"He did always like theatrics." Said Alec. "Thank you for breakfast and a bed for the night. But I have to go and see him."

"Oh, ok." Said Lavender.

"Well it was nice to see you again." said Alec shaking John's hand. "I'll see you soon."

"Ok, bye." Said Lavender as he walked outside. He took a deep breath and walked out to the car. The door opened and he saw his brother.

"Get in." he said without looking at him.

"What, no morning or how are you." Tim didn't look up from the file he was reading.

"I said, get in." he said. Alec looked over the car before sitting down. As soon as he closed the door the car sped off.

"Have you been out there all night?" asked Alec. Tim didn't say anything or look up from his file.

"Humph, John was right." Said Alec. "Our parents do have a lot to answer for."

"If you think this hint of amusement will gain favour with me you are sorely mistaken," said Tim, still not looking up.

"Then why have you come to get me?" asked Alec.

"Because the Prime Minister has decided to press ahead with the mission." Tim pulled a paper from underneath the file threw it into his lap. Alec read the headline.

 _Humanitarian crisis continues as tuberculosis kills more Romanians!_

"We need you on the ground as soon as possible." Said Tim. "This has become more than a crisis."

"So you decided to come and pick me up and make sure I do It." said Alec, he laughed and shook his head.

"This isn't like when I was a rookie, Tim."

"And so you decide to go getting drunk after we give you an official assassination." Said Tim. "It seems you have grown up, little brother."

"What, I'm not allowed to have a drink with friends before I go off on a potentially dangerous mission." Said Alec. "Sorry for having a life."

"Having a 'life' isn't a crime little brother." Said Tim. "Not having your priorities straight however is." He said.

"You wanted me at home preparing." Said Alec.

"Now, who told me fortune favours the prepared." Said Tim, still not looking up from the file he was reading.

"I want you to take this seriously little brother." He continued. "This is a matter of national security."

"I will take it seriously, don't worry." Said Alec.

"It would of made mother happy to us working together." Said Tim. Alec could tell he was smiling his twisted smile.

"Yeah, wouldn't it just." Said Alec. The car came to a stop in a country lane. "Kicking me out already, I thought we were going to have a love in."

"Inform me of your progress." Said Tim, he turned his hand and the door slammed shut and the car drove off.

"Just like old times." Said Alec. He looked over at the two tall towers from the steel factory. With a flash of light he was gone.


	27. Chapter 27

"Vampires!"

"Run!"

"Run for you lives!" The small town in the shadow of the mountain was delirious as what looked like a man with wings came tearing down. A man who wasn't fast enough was sliced down in the middle of the street to hysterical screams.

One of the vampires landed. It grabbed a passing man and sank it's fangs into his neck. After having its fill it threw the body into a house, smashing the window as it flew in. It then turned and walked through the streets.

"Die you son of a-" The Vampire dodged the bullet. He appeared in front of a man with a shotgun in his hand. The Vampire took it out of his hand and smacked him across the face with it.

"What does the master want with this?" Another Vampire asked. Francesca turned around and pointed down the streets.

"He wants an example, kill all who resist." She said. "And some just for fun." The Vampire smiled before jumping away. Fran looked towards a house in the street she was walking down. She could smell fear, she could smell the blood running through their veins.

She kicked the door to the house down and looked around the hastily moved living room. Her footsteps echoed and the wooden floor. They were around here somewhere. She licked lips and walked to the table and saw the remisance of dinner. Fran placed her hand over the food, it was still warm.

They must have hid when the alarm went off. The screaming from outside was very distracting, she couldn't focus on the heartbeat.

"Please, please don't' coghghghg."

Fran walked forward again and checked the floor, she was looking at the rug in the centre of the room. The corner was upturned. Fran looked forward and saw a cupboard under the stairs. She smiled and then walked forward to the door and placed a pale hand slowly on the frame. She closed her eyes.

Heartbeats. Lots of them. She concentrated more and she could see them, a family of four huddled on the floor. She could see the blood pumping through their veins.

Fran made a fist and punched through the door and ripped it off its hinges.

"Oh my god!"

Fran threw the door into the street.

"NO!" Fran strode into the house, picked up the father and threw him out into the street through the wall. She turned back and walked out to the man who was spluttering.

"No! NO!" Fran bared her fangs and bit down on his neck. She could hear the screams from his family from the background. She needed to send the message that her master was on the warpath.

"Why!? Why did you do this, we haven't done anything."

"This is a message." Said Fran. "A message that is here for a wider audience to endure." She turned to the family and studied there scared faces. IT was only the mother and daughter, where was the son, the boy?"

"Leave my dad alone!" She turned and saw him holding a ring of garlic. "Or I'll kill every last one of you!"

Fran smirked, she swooped towards the boy and smacked him into the house.

"NO!" the mother instantly went to attend to her son, "Cheski! CHESKI!"

The attack was over, but the bloodshed round the town was for all to see. Bodies lying in the streets while homes were destroyed and the sound of wailing and crying in the distance. The sky had now turned dark with greenish tinge to the clouds.

One mother was mourning the loss of her son in the middle of one street. His small lifeless body cradled carefully in her arms while her tears dusted his tiny forehead. The clouds in the sky roared and a sprinkle of rain fell down on the mourning mother. The shift in temperature and the water made her hold onto the corpse more.

"Dear Lord." She whispered. "Oh dear Lord." The rain started to come down in thicker drops.

"…If only not, for my family's sake…I need a miracle, salvation…" she gulped as lightning lit up the sky.

"If you cannot send me that…then…send your…darkest…truest angel of…" footsteps made her look up.

"…Retribution?"

 **The Marauders Proudly Present Alec Potter In: The Marauders Year Two**

 **Chapter Twenty Seven**

 **Lucifer**

 **Written By Chambers10**

"Who, who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Alec." He kneeled down. She hugged the body more protectively and Alec backed off.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

"Are you a vampire?" she asked, her voice was quick and sharp.

"No." said Alec. He pulled down the collar of his coat. "See." The woman looked around the whole of his neck. When she was satisfied she nodded.

"What happened?" asked Alec.

"They came out of know where." She said. "They just, attacked the village, killed anyone who they could see." Alec nodded his head.

"Why did they do this?" she asked. Alec go to his feet and lightning flashed above them.

"I don't know." Said Alec. "But I'll find out." Alec walked away from the village. He couldn't learn much more from here, but he knew he was on the right trial. The Vampires where heading south, which meant he kept needing to go north to Chernivtsi.

"Are…are you an angel?" Alec turned back round the woman who looked up at him with huge eyes. "Has…has he sent you?" Alec looked back. Her eyes were so full of hope, sadness but hope that her prays had been answered.

"I've come to do a job." Said Alec. "It doesn't mean I'm an angel." The woman looked down at her son and then back at Alec.

"The angels need a sharp sword to." She said. "He answers us when we least suspect it." Alec looked down at the floor before walking off again into the rain.

* * *

The Swedish Lakes

Alec stared at the snow covered mountains as the raft slowly made its way across the still water. He paddled forward on the oar and the house what he was looking for was now seeable from his position.

Now he was on a mission to kill Dracula, he needed to know where he was hiding. For that, he needed to find a Vampire. He knew of one person, an old instructor of his who taught him how to move silently without being herd. He was now a recluse, living away from civilisation through fear of spreading his evil across the world.

When his raft hit the shore he jumped off and tied it up and looked at the cabin. It was wooden with the faintest snow on the logs and smoke coming out of the chimney. Alec walked forward, his boots crunching on the crisp snow to the front door. He went to knock, but before he could even do that, the door opened by itself. It creaked loudly as the hinges pulled back.

"Who are you fooling?" Alec said with an amused look. Alec strode confidently into the room. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that this place had been abandoned for years. The furniture was covered in dust and mould while old paintings and chairs lay smashed in the corner.

As Alec walked forward more a cloud of bats flew out. Alec put his arm up to defend himself but they just flew past him.

"Don't mind them." The voice was old and gravely, and sounded more tired now. "It's a side effect of the condition." Alec turned to a dark corner of the room where a figure was sitting on a wooden chair. He chuckled.

"I knew this living death would wear a familiar face." He said. He stepped into the light. The man was tall, and well built like Alec was. His hair was grey while he sported a turtle neck jumper and dark trousers. His brown eyes bore into Alec while there was a scar over one of his eyes.

"But I didn't expect it to be yours." He looked Alec down top to bottom. "You've aged well." He said. "But I half expected you to be dead by now."

"Not all of us can be immortal Teddy." Said Alec.

"Don't fucking remind me." He said.

"What was with the bats and the creaky door?" asked Alec.

"Keeps kids and tourists away." explained Teddy. "Lets me have a little peace and quiet around here." Alec looked around the derelict living room. Teddy sighed, with a wave of his hand it was transformed into a warm inviting living room with a log fire going with a fresh pot of tea.

"So, what brings you here?" he asked showing Alec a large comfy looking chair to sit in. Alec nodded and sat down while Teddy hade himself a cup of tea.

"I need information." Said Alec. Teddy laughed and sat down in chair opposite Alec with a coffee table in between them.

"About what?" asked Teddy. "Last time I saw you, you were as well connected as me."

"Well I've been given a new assignment." Said Alec. Teddy laughed and pointed at him.

"I heard about you catching Murdoch." He said. "Well done on that. I thought he was going to turn into another Necrofear."

"Yeah, well this is semi connected." Said Alec.

"Oh." Teddy placed his cup of tea down. "And what is this new assignment of yours?"

"Yours." Said Alec. Teddy instantly went stoned face. "He's risen again Teddy." Teddy shook his head.

"I thought I'd made it impossible to find him again." He slouched in his chair and tapped his temple.

"He was compromised once and I had to track him down." Alec explained. "My brother decided to have his remains locked up in Romania

"Do you know who resurrected him?"

"He calls himself Voldemort." Alec replied. "I don't know any more other than their conspiring for something."

"This is very dangerous Alec." He said. "Are they sure, have they thought this through?"

"I asked them that, don't worry." Said Alec. "My brother's twisting the governments arm." Teddy shook his head and drank.

"I hated that prick." He said. "No offense."

"None taken." Said Alec.

"So what is it that you want from me?" asked Teddy.

"I want his location." Said Alec. "Where he's hiding." Teddy laughed. Alec looked on confused.

"And you thought since he bit me, I would know." Alec nodded. "Well it is logical. I never did give you the full details about what happened."

"You gave me no details." Said Alec. "You went off on a mission one day and then you were gone. It took me years to find out what that mission was."

"So, how did you find me?"

"Secret." Said Alec. Teddy nodded. "What happened?" asked Alec.

"I was on a lead." Said Teddy. "I was up on the mountains in Romania, essentially being a glorified Vampire hunter." He explained. "I figured, lure out the small fry and get the big fishes attention. Well, I did."

"What happened?" asked Alec.

"I'd love to tell you." Suddenly Teddy's features hardened, shadows formed underneath his eyes and chin while his iris's turned red.

"But that would be cheating!" He said in a demonic voice. He then went back to normal.

"I hate it when he does that." Teddy said.

"Let's see."

Teddy pulled down his turtle neck and showed off two puncture marks on his neck. Alec looked up at him and he sat back down while Teddy pulled up his sweater.

"So this is why you've stayed out here." Said Alec.

"My needs are simple now." said Teddy, "I can't eat like normal but I can enjoy a nice drink."

"What do you do about a…" he motioned with his hands.

"I drink the blood of deer's." He said. "There considered pests around these parts so I partake."

"He is literally a ghost." Said Teddy, "I spent weeks out in those mountains, and did nothing, chasing shadows and barbarism. And it'll happen to you to." Alec didn't say anything.

"Unless you know something I don't."

"I don't." said Alec. "I'm I just wanted to know what I was getting myself in for."

"You're getting into a lot." Said Teddy. "That Dracula is a Psychopath. He doesn't care who he kills, men, women, and children. It's all the same to him."

"Which is why I need to take him down." Said Alec. "He took out a unit of Enforcers and one of our own. He's working with someone dangerous."

"Sons of Salazar?"

"How did you-?" Teddy raised his eyebrow.

"Oh yeah."

"You should have gone for captain." Said Teddy, "You were good enough and you had the connections to."

"Was I ever going to win against Parks." Said Alec.

"You'll never know now will you?" said Teddy. "But you've been given a mission now, it's time to see it out. But there is one thing you should look at."

"What's that?" asked Alec.

"There was a town, a town in the mountains call Chevensti. It backs onto a huge mountain that also houses a fortress." Explained Teddy.

"Why should I go there?"

"Well, a hundred or so years ago, the son of Victor Frankenstein set up shop there, citing new experiments being funded by a mysterious benefactor." Said Teddy. He placed his tea down and looked at the table ruefully.

"I sometimes think that's what got me noticed." Said Teddy. "Because I was digging into that, I was making my way there when I was…" he motioned with his hand.

"Why didn't you tell the ministry?" asked Alec.

"No." said Teddy. " They couldn't know for one reason."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't want another poor sod to suffer the same fate." Said Teddy. "I convinced them to let it go and to leave things how they were."

"You ran away." said Alec.

"Falling back isn't a sign of weakness, Alec, it's a military tactic." Said Teddy.

"It usually requires a counter strike." Said Alec.

"And here you are." Said Teddy. "It's best to strike when you know the time is right. Clearly the powers that be think that time is now."

"I still don't." said Alec.

"But your opinion doesn't count on this." Said Teddy. "But do check out that village. I heard stories that that's when Dracula was last sighted by mortal men."

"What happened to Frankenstein?" asked Alec.

"Now that." Said Teddy, "Is the mystery."

"I don't know what'll happen after I do." Said Alec. Teddy laughed and nodded.

"I've been ready for death for years." Said Teddy. "So this is a goodbye as well?"

"Maybe." Said Alec.

"You were always terrible at lying." Said Teddy, "Admittedly you've become better as you've got older. Alec, this is goodbye, when that spells breaks, then, I suppose I go with him." Alec nodded and looked down.

"Don't get sentimental with me." Said Teddy. "I thought I taught you better than that." Alec nodded and got to his feet.

"I guess I'll see you on the other side then." Said Alec. He but his hand in his pockets and went to walk out. "I'll try and do you proud as well." He closed the door behind him. Teddy sighed.

"I know you will son." He said as Alec got back onto his raft and began to row away. "I know you will."

* * *

Alec pulled out his map and studied the trial up ahead. He needed to keep heading north, that's where all the Vampires where coming from. Plus, it was on the way to that town that he'd heard about, the one that had supposedly held the son of Frankenstein.

"Who is he my love?"

"That…" Dracula rose forward in his seat, the mirror before him showing Alec Potter walking up the mountain trail.

"That is a potentially big problem."

"But who is he?"

"His name is Alec Potter," said Dracula getting to his feet. He walked to the mirror. The brides behind him where looking at each other with confused looks.

"And why is he a problem my love?" Amelia asked.

"He's a very powerful wizard." Said Dracula.

"Not as powerful as you though." Said Francesca.

"That remains to be seen." Said Dracula sitting down, he slouched and tapped his finger on his cheek.

"I want to see what weapons he possess. So we can study his tactics. Rosanna!" The brunette walked in front of him.

"Yes, my lord?" she said posing flirtatiously in front of him.

"Take a team to attack Potter at the next village." Said Dracula. "Try and prolong to battle as much as possible, I want to see what I can learn from him."

"Yes my lord." Rosanna flew off into the rafters of the building and into darkness. Dracula sat up straight in the chair and watched the screen intently. That name. Alec Potter. He was warned that he was coming for him. But he didn't take it seriously at all until now.

* * *

Alec saw a small village in the distance. It looked like it hadn't been destroyed by vampires, but news spreads quickly in the mountains. It looked like things were operating as normal. But as he entered the village, people started to whisper and look at him. Maybe they thought he brought death.

As he was walking to the centre of the town people were starting to follow him. A rather large crowd that didn't seem too happy to see him. They were holding onto farm tools like weapons, and muttering under their breaths.

Alec got to the centre of the village. There was a well connected to a cenotaph in the middle of a large circle with houses around the edge along with a church at the north end. Alec placed his rucksack down and turned to face the baying mob before him. Mostly men and boys looking for a fight, women who were curious to dotted in the crowd. He heard footsteps behind him, they sounded like…heels?

"Turn around?" The voice was a woman's. It was precise and to the point with the accent of the region. "Who are you?"

"Why do you want to know?" asked Alec.

"We don't trust strangers." She said. "And now, you will be disarmed." The crowd moved forward, Alec's hand instantly went to his pistols. He didn't pull them out just yet.

"You can try." He said. He looked around menacingly at the crowd who had now slowly began to move back.

"You refuse to obey our laws?" she asked. Alec laughed to himself.

"The laws of men mean very little to me." He felt a change in the wind. Like an arm pulling back. And the sheathing of a sword. Alec turned swiftly, pulling out his pistol. As he fully turned his gun hit the blade of a sword. The woman was still pressing down on it trying to get him to relent, but from her petite frame, Alec could tell she hadn't the strength in her arms to dislodge his pistol. She was pretty with flowing long blonde hair, eastern European facial features and blue eyes that had a murderous stare.

"Fine!" she hissed. "Kill him!" There were a few gleeful whispers as they walked to towards him.

"I'm here to help you." said Alec calmly. The woman snarled and pushed her sword closer to Alec so it was now by his eye.

"I don't need help!" Alec's eye looked slightly behind her.

"Oh really." Alec pushed back, he grabbed her sword arm and got it into a lock.

SKREEE!

The whole village looked up and then chaos broke out. A swarm of vampires coming towards him, being led by a brunette.

Alec started firing his pistol, garlic bullets. The brunette dodged and let them hit the slaves behind her that instantly hit them and fell to the ground.

"Let go of me!" the woman shouted.

"Fine." Alec threw her to the ground as the vampires descended into the village. They were chasing people through the streets, trying to get there feed. While some where just going to slaughter them for the shear fun of it.

Alec fired the last of his bullets. Without looking he reloaded his gun and then began to fire again at them.

He was then unceremoniously thrown to the floor by the blonde woman with the sword, just as the lead vampire swooped past.

"Watch out." She said.

"Thanks." Said Alec. But it was a massacre out there. He couldn't save everyone. He got to his feet and ran over to his bag. He skidded on the floor and ripped the zip open and pulled out an orange coloured capsule. He threw it over towards a large crowd of people being attacked by vampires. The capsule exploded on impact and released a huge cloud of orange smoke that spread out quickly across them. It first freezed the vampires before they disintegrated in the cloud.

Alec smirked and then looked at the blonde woman who looked astounded at what just happened. She was then plucked from the ground by one of the vampires by her shoulders and hoisted into the air.

"Shit." Alec sprinted forward to try and grab her leg but couldn't. He then steadied his pistol and aimed for the Vampires leg. He then fired.

The bullet flew off and hit its target with full force. Shattering its leg and dropping the woman from the sky. She quickly regained her composure and landed gracefully on the roof of a house.

Alec then turned to see a group of vampires running towards a group of men who were unarmed. Alec ran towards the vampires. He punched one just as another was attacking, he blocked its swipe from behind hand flung him over his shoulder and kicked him into a nearby house. He swivelled on his knee and kicked one vampire in its leg and then flung him over into another house. He then pulled out another garlic capsule. He grabbed another in a head lock. Broke the capsule and then threw it into its mouth. He then pulled up its arm abruptly breaking its shoulder and then kicking it into the rest of the group. The capsule exploded, covering them with gas. Paralysing them and then melting them.

Alec looked over at the brunette vampire leading the charge. That must be one of Dracula's brides. Only the ones bitten by Dracula retained their natural hair colour. Alec though was running through the streets trying to save as many people as he could. But all he could find in some parts was death and destruction.

He saw more vampires flying over his head towards the centre of the square again. Alec ran towards a house and kicked a door down. He sprinted past the frightened family and up the stairs to a first floor window. He jumped out the window. He grabbed one of the vampires. It tossed and turned trying desperately to fling him off. Alec though held on tight and grabbed hold of its huge ears, trying to get it to steer back towards the centre of the village.

With a heave he got it to turn and it slammed into a chimney. Alec fell of and rolled across the mud and quickly got to his feet. He was now surrounded by vampires in the sky. He looked over his shoulder and saw the woman with the sword. It was only him and her now.

"Who's that?" Alec shouted. Pointing at the brunette.

"Rosanna." She shouted back. She slit a vampire's throat as she spoke. "Dracula's bride."

"We take her out, the rest will retreat." Said Alec as he reloaded his pistols.

"HA! No one has ever killed someone bitten by Dracula!" she said. "They were closing in together.

"Well, always a first time for everything." Said Alec. "Get down!" Alec grabbed a couple of capsules and threw them into the crowd. The gas did its trick, paralysing and then melting them. The Rosanna was caught in the blast but it didn't affect her.

"Shit."

"Any more bright ideas." Alec didn't like her tone. He was looking around now but more vampires where closing in. They were so close now that he was having to use close quarter combat to keep them back, although he was breaking their limbs they still got back up.

He dislocated one's elbow and he was slashed by one across his chest. He grunted out and fell to the floor. He opened his eyes, before his hazy vision he saw a cross. The church.

Holy water.

Alec looked back. He needed and very big distraction to beat this.

"You don't look so tough." Rosanna observed as she floated above him. "And to think my beloved was scared of a man like you."

"Maybe he still should be." Alec threw something into the air which instantly caused a huge explosion. Alec ran over to the woman who had taken cover and scooped her up and they hid behind the cenotaph.

"What was that?" She asked.

"Potassium." Said Alec. "Enough to produce an exothermic reaction to give us a diversion."

"For what."

"I need to get to the church." Said Alec.

"What? Why?" she asked.

"I have an idea, that should take care of a lot of them." The smoke began to clear. "Here." Alec passed her a couple of garlic capsules. "If you get into a tight spot use these. Garlic fused with a nerve gas that will paralysis them and then melt them."

"How did you-"

"Just go and give me cover!" Alec sprang forward and saw a lot of vampire bodies in front of him.

Before he knew what happened he had been throw into the air and then onto the ground. Shit, where had that come from. He was then thrown into the air again. And again, and again. He could hear Rosanna's laughter. She then swooped down and picked him up again and then threw him into the church.

Alec crashed through the roof. He smashed into the pews before bouncing up and smashing into the alter.

Alec groaned and looked around. The only light coming in from the green sky above him. Alec's eye fell on a stain glass window. It depicted god and the eight angels. They were casting down Lucifer into the pits on the inferno. Alec got to his feet. He'd knocked the cross in the church so it was now upside down.

The church.

Alec looked around and saw the font. Alec went to run but was stopped by a sharp pain in his knee.

"Fucking thing." He said now hobbling towards the font. He unholstered one of his guns. He opened the revolver and one bullet fell out. How fitting. Alec picked it up from the water and opened the chamber. He scooped a little of the water into the bullet and screwed it up.

"Ah, there you are." Alec looked up and turned slowly.

Rosanna was hovering in the hole that Alec had made. Her dress billowing in the wind along with perfect brown hair.

"So, has the man grown a spine there." She frowned As Alec placed the bullet in the chamber.

"What's that you've got there?" she asked as she hovered in closer.

"This?" Alec swiftly pulled the gun out and aimed it at her. "Holy water bullet." He fired and it went straight threw her heart. She screamed out in pain as she flew back and then hit the back of the church. She fell onto the broken cross with her feet on the cross section and head at the base.

Alec limped towards her, he holstered his gun and held onto his bicep as he got closer to Rosanna. She was breathing deeply and spluttering every so often. He stopped by the side of her.

"But…how?" she asked. "You…you aren't supposed to kill us."

"Things change." Said Alec coldly. "I know your lover boy can see and hear this so I'll be quick." He got onto his haunches.

"I am coming for you, you will not be able to rest, or sleep, enjoy anything meaningful in your life knowing that I am looking for you and seeing what I can do. So enjoy these last few moments, because I want you to remember this moment. In all your most private times, I want you to think of me. The one man who killed, your bride!"

The decaying now fully took over and Rosanna then collapsed into dust. All that was left was a skull with vampire fangs.

Alec got to his feet and walked to the steps before the alter. He sat down and straightened out his knee. He would need to give it a pain killer later to stop the pain. He looked around the ruined church.

What was it that made muggles worship a deity like this? Why did they place their faith in a mystic being that couldn't help them. Just as he was finishing pondering, the door opened and the whole village was there waiting for him.

"Did, did he kill her?"

"He did, he killed Rosanna!"

"What impossible!"

"How did he do it?"

"That's her skull!"

"It's a good thing." Said Alec. One of the villagers shook his head.

"Vampires only kill what they need to survive." He said. "One or two people a month. Now, they will kill for revenge." The villagers chorused there agreement while Alec laughed lightly and shook his head.

"What name my good Sir do I carve on your gravestone?"

"His name is Alec Potter." The woman with the sword walking through the middle of them and into the church. She stood in front of them and him with hands on cocked hips. "Your reputation precedes you."

Alec shook his head and got to his feet.

"Maybe so. But since you know my name, maybe you can do me the courtesy of telling me yours." She smiled and nodded.

"You have courage, I'll give you that." She said. "He's the first man to ever kill a bride of Dracula." She stepped forward.

"My name is Erin Valarious." She said with a smirk. "And you have just earned yourself a drink."

"Thanks, but I go teetotal for my missions." He said. "Who are you?"

"I own this land Mr Potter." She said. "You're speaking to the lord of the manor." Alec tutted.

"Then I need questions that need answering." Said Alec. "Where is Chernivtsi?" Erin smiled.

"Why don't you stay in the manor house." said Erin, "You can sleep and regain your strength there, and I will gladly any questions you have." Alec looked around and then down at this knee.

"Fine." He said walking through the crowd towards his bag. "Lead the way Miss Valarious."

* * *

Alec sat down in a chair and summoned a foot rest and placed his knee up. He breathed out and rubbed it. He was in a large living room with an open log fire and animal heads hung up on the wall.

"Here you are." Erin walked into from another room carrying a cup of tea. "Just a cup of tea?"

"Yeah, that's fine." Said Alec taking from her. He looked into it and saw there was no milk. He looked up.

"We haven't had a lot of supplies." She said sitting in the chair opposite him.

"So I can see." Said Alec. He drank a little and then placed it down on a small side table. "How bad has it been?" Erin looked towards the portrait of a man in ceremonial uniform.

"Since the end of autumn." She said. "They have only ever killed what they need to survive, one or two people a month maybe. But now, they are killing for fun. Even the Oamenii are starting to notice."

"The tuberculosis outbreak." Said Alec. Erin nodded.

"There has been no help. They have just left us to die up here, they sent those useless men who couldn't do anything." She laughed lightly.

"I think you killed more of them in one hour than any of them did in the time they were here."

"It's not a competition." Said Alec. "What have you tried to kill them with?"

"Holy water and garlic." Erin replied. "Nothing as effective as you."

"Have you tried staking him?"

"With metal spikes, yeah." Alec looked back at her.

"Have you tried wooden ones?"

"What, wood would never work."

"Why not?"

"Don't you think with it growing all around us you'd think we would use it?"

"When was the last time you tried?"

"We can't get close enough to use it." Erin said folding her arms and sitting down.

"So, the British have sent you here." She frowned. "To do what exactly?"

"They want me to kill Dracula." said Alec.

"Can you do that?" asked Erin.

"I'm not sure." Said Alec. He looked up at her. "But I'm going to try."

"You know, my mother told me that they sent a British agent a long time ago to do the same thing." Said Erin, "Apparently he disappeared after being taken."

"I won't end up like that." Said Alec.

"They all say that." Said Erin. "But when it all comes to it, they can never, kill him. He cannot die. Do you think you can kill him?"

"I have to at least try and reason with him." said Alec.

"Let me ask you something." she said getting up abruptly. "Why have you come out here to only try and reason with him? You know that he will kill again."

"I don't believe in killing." Said Alec. "It only makes you a bad as them."

"Then you are not the man I thought you were." Said Erin. "Why did you pack all these gadgets." She pointed to Alec's equipment "If you're not prepared to kill him." She marched off, tossing her hair as she left.

"What are you even doing here?"

* * *

Alec was in his workshop surrounded by lots of garlic while he was tinkering with something on his worktable. He was making garlic bombs, they would come in useful if he was going to be taking out vampires. Garlic was the only known substance that worked on low level vampires. It didn't work on Dracula or on his brides. But he was going to be facing off against al lot of mindless drones so he had to be prepared for an assault.

Alec looked over at the gas canister he was working on and measured the pressure. Still not enough to disperse the gas. He had crushed the garlic into a paste which he then added to a potion that had the same boiling point of water. The garlic steam was then captured by a simple dome charm and then funnelled into the gas canister Alec was using. The gas was mixed with nerve gas in the canister, then pressurised so on detonation it would give maximum coverage of toxic and paralysing garlic.

Alec had a series of flashbang capsules on his workshop table that had been painstakingly taken apart so they didn't detonate. The filler consisted of pyrotechnic metal-oxidant mix of magnesium, and an oxidizer potassium perchlorate, it meant that on detonation it would make a very big bang and then incapacitate the vampires and then the garlic would kill them.

Alec checked the pressure again.

"There you are." Katherine had opened the door to the workshop and instantly pinched her nose.

"What the hell is that smell?" asked Katherine.

"It's garlic." Said Alec not looking up. "Well, garlic mixed with a paralysing nerve gas."

"Why do you have so much?" asked Katherine.

"I'm making garlic stun capsules." Said Alec. "I was speaking to Tim last night."

"Ok…and?"

"They've ordered Dracula's assassination." Said Alec. "Tim's put me up to it." Katherine didn't say anything. He could hear her though making her way towards him and then sitting next to him.

"And how do you feel about that?" she asked.

"Fine." Said Alec.

"Your, not, really going to kill him are you?" asked Katherine. Alec stopped and looked over at her and took off his goggles.

"He can't die. He can only be stopped." Said Alec. "I'm not really sure what else I can do to stop him. He's killed millions and will kill more if I don't."

"You know garlic doesn't work on him." said Katherine.

"I know." Said Alec placing his goggles and looking back at the canister. "But there is going to be a lot of resistance when I do face him down." Said Alec. "The rest I'll have to improvise." Katherine sighed and kissed Alec's neck.

"When do you leave?" she asked lightly.

"As soon as I finish these." Said Alec. "I have one stop and then I'm going to Romania."

"Go tomorrow." Said Katherine now hugging him tightly. "At least stay for dinner." Alec stopped again and turned. He looked at his wife. There was a slight fear in her eyes, one he hadn't seen in a while. Not since he was a new recruit.

"Ok." He said. "I've almost finished composition." Katherine smiled and then kissed him.

"I'll get dinner on then." Said Katherine.

"Don't." Alec said placing his hand on her arm. "I'll make it."

"Sure?" Alec nodded.

"Ok." She said. "So long as there isn't any garlic in it."

"Guarantee it."

She left the room, smiling over her shoulder before closing the door. Alec checked the pressure. Perfect. Alec took a nozzle from the gas canister and picked up one of the stun capsules. He pressed a button on the canister and a small puff of gas went into the capsules. The usual blue colour of the capsule turned orange with the pump of gas.

Alec stopped the process and then picked up the capsule. He walked with it outside to the drive. The sky was just starting to turn a little orange with the trees down the road and into the forest swaying in the breeze. Alec placed the goggles upon his forehead and then threw the capsule. It exploded, causing a bright light and then an outpour of orange gas that spread quickly. Alec smirked to himself. He still had it.

He walked back into the workshop and then cast a few spells that made sure that it would continue to make the capsules. He walked across the drive and into the house.

* * *

Katherine woke up in the morning. She felt fresh sunlight seeping into the bedroom, she opened her eyes to see Alec, but…he was gone. She sat up quickly with only the duvet to cover her modesty. She looked over at the side of the bed and saw a piece of paper with her name written on it. She frowned and picked it up. She ran a hand through her hair and read the letter.

 _Dearest Katherine._

 _You know better than anyone that I hate saying goodbyes. You know that I only reserve them for when I know I will never see someone again._

Alec looked over at Katherine sleeping soundly next to him. The bright full moon beaming down on his bare skin. He gently rolled over and kissed on the crown of her head. She shuffled and smiled in her sleep. Alec pulled the covers back.

 _Before you start hyperventilating, this isn't goodbye._

Katherine got to her feet, the sheets still hanging loosely round her body as she walked.

 _But judging from the nature of this mission it might not be too far from the truth after all._

Alec walked down to his study. He closed the door and looked over at the Enigma board. Maybe Moody could carry on from him there. He walked to the bookcase and looked around.

 _Though I have made a vow not to kill anymore, but I do not know if I can adhere to that during this mission._

Katherine walked down the stairs with Alec's shirt on with the letter still in hand.

 _The things people have been subjected to by him, I don't know if there is any hope to reason with him._

Alec pulled back some books to reveal and hand scanner. He placed his palm on it. The book case slid back to reveal a staircase which he walked down.

 _I knew that if I told you this then you would try and stop me. To try and make me see the light in some over convoluted way that would make it my mission to try and reason with this maniac._

Katherine nodded and looked at all the photos of their family hanging on the wall.

 _That isn't a criticism on your part._

 _It's one of the many, many reasons why I love you. You wish for me to see the best in people. Something you have passed onto my son._

Alec walked down the staircase into his armoury. He flicked the light switch on to reveal a huge assortment of weapons. He slowly began to get changed.

 _I love you the world Katherine. I know I'll beat him and then come home again._

Katherine walked into the kitchen and saw something already steaming on the kitchen surface.

 _I didn't want this potential last time together to be remembered by all the blazing rows we've had in recent weeks._

Katherine saw a croissant and jam waiting for her on the table as well.

 _Hence the oily fish dinner. (Good brain food.)_

Alec placed on his protective gloves.

 _A bottle of your favourite red wine. (An excellent antioxidant.)_

Katherine sat down at the table.

 _And making love one last time.(Good for the immune system.)_

Alec loaded his pistols and placed them in the holsters.

 _Also, I've decided to retire after this mission._

Katherine's hand went to her mouth in shock.

 _Your right, after this, the world will become a much less dangerous place. One that can be looked after by the new recruits._

Alec leaned over and kissed Katherine on the head again. He looked up at the full moon and walked outside.

 _It's time to do something I've selfishly negated to do for years and put you first, although why your still with me after all this time is one mystery even I couldn't solve._

Katherine dropped the letter on the table and held her face in her hands. "Because I love you, you idiot."

 _Please take care of yourself and James, and me when I come home._

Alec looked over at his house. At the dark and secure structure. A place he had called home for many, many years. He checked again to see if he was missing anything and looked at it for what maybe a final time.

 _Love now and always._

He apparated away.

 _Alec._


	28. Chapter 28

**The Marauders Proudly Present Alec Potter In: The Marauders Year Two**

 **Chapter Twenty Eight**

 **Fortress Frankenstein**

 **Written By Chambers 10**

Alec woke up and reached over to his left, only find nothing there. Right, Katherine was at home. Alec sat up and looked around the room, it was very basic with only the single bed that he was lying on, a chest of drawers and a chair in the room.

Alec got up and got changed and walked out into a hallway. It was lit by torchlight but the grandeur of it gave it a lonely feel. Alec walked down the hallway, it was decorated with paintings of Erin's ancestors. Alec noticed that one was missing from the gallery. There were cabinets with spears and swords proudly on display.

Alec walked into the library that he was sitting in last night. The fire from last night had died leaving nothing but smouldering ash. Alec made himself comfortable and browsed some of the titles of the books. Most of them seemed to be for the history of the region.

Alec pulled out a map and walked back to the chair he'd been sat in last night, with a flick of his wand the fire in the room roared into life instantly. Alec spread the map over the table and had a look at the mountainous region he was in.

The name of the town he was looking for was Chevensti with the old fortress that Teddy described.

"You're up early?" Alec turned his head slightly and saw Erin walk into the library.

"Work to be done." Alec said going back to the map. Erin stood next Alec, looking down at the map with a turned up nose.

"And what work is that?" She asked.

"What do you know about Chevensti?" Erin frowned.

"The city of the dammed." Erin warned. "It was a thriving town a generation ago. They used to have a large market there every Thursday, then, one day, a man came to the old fortress that protected it."

"Who was that man?" Alec asked.

"They called him Frankenstein." Erin said with a shudder. "A man who knew not the boundary of the living and the dead."

"Grave robber." Erin nodded.

"I heard about him, the town's folk stopped his experiment but then what?"

"Dracula supposedly put a curse on that town, plagues, bad harvests, carried on long after he was stopped by the other brit, so it is now abandoned." Alec tapped his wand on the table and the wand folded back up.

"Well then, maybe we should go take a look." Erin looked at Alec with a confused expression.

"Sounds like the perfect place to start." Alec said cheerfully walking back to his room.

"That place is abandoned." Erin said following him. "We've searched it, top to bottom, there is nothing there."

"Yeah, but I haven't looked at it yet." Alec said walking into his room. He walked to the wardrobe in the room and unfolded his supply bag. Erin went wide eyed at the array of weapons Alec had brought.

Guns, capsules wing dings and Rebellion.

"That's…" Erin went to touch Rebellion.

"Rebellion, the demon slayer." Alec said looking back at Erin, his gaze warning her not to touch. "I thought I might bring it along, Dracula is after all a demon." Alec patted the long sword. He grabbed a chest belt of some garlic capsules and place them over his shoulder so they were exposed on his front.

"But guns?" Erin said running her hand over a shotgun. "I haven't seen your kind use them before…."

"I find it best to be open to every tactic, muggle and magic." Alec said grabbing a chest belt of shot gun cartridges and putting it on. Alec then took a shot gun of its holder, he elongated the gun by swinging out the arm rest and extending the gun's barrels and took aim. He folded it back up and connected it to his belt. He then walked to chair in the room and took his black coat of the back and put it on.

"What's this?" Erin pointed a glowing ball. Gilgamesh.

"Don't touch it!" Erin gingerly pulled her arm away. Alec walked over to bag and closed the bag up.

"What was that?" Erin asked.

"That's for if the shit really hits the fan." Alec said looking back at Erin. He picked up his wand and holstered it.

"Let's go."

* * *

There was a low lying mist outside as they walked towards Chevensti. The clouds where a murky grey rather than the green clouds that greeted him yesterday.

"I thought you guys could teleport." Erin said as they walked along. Alec's mind wandered back towards the new Portkey H was developing.

"It doesn't quite work like that with this sort of thing." Alec replied. "I could apparate to the castle myself. But, other magical people can detect it. No doubt Dracula would know, so it's better to go on foot."

"I didn't know that."

"Not many muggles do. How long before we reach Chevensti?"

"A couple of more miles." Erin explained. She stopped outside the mouth of a forest and consulted her map of the area.

Ale stopped outside the mouth of the forest. He stared down the road that lead down into the forest. The trees where small and very close together with black bark and thin twigs. A stiff breeze blew over to forest entrance, the branches swaying slightly. The wind then changed direction and blew a powerful gust in his direction. It lifted the bottom of his coat up, the whistle of the wind sounding like a howl of pain.

Alec had been round the block to often to know a poltergeist trick when he saw it. When the wind calmed down he turned round and walked back toward the main path.

"Hehehehe." Alec pulled out his wand and pointed it down the road. That laughing, it was definitely a girl's laugh. Alec scanned the road, there was now someone at the end of it. A small girl by the last tree in the distance looking round the corner of a tree. Alec stepped forward.

"Hehehehe." This was strange. Alec went to take another step but was pulled back violently by Erin.

"Don't…don't go in there." Erin said. Alec looked back at the forest, the branches swaying again in the breeze. The little girl, gone.

"It's the Hoia Baciu forest." Erin explained. "It is a source of great evil. Haunted by the ghosts of the mad of Chevensti. People go missing in there, objects that cannot be explained, lights that turn the sane mad."

"The girl…"

"Your imagination." Erin said looking back at the forest. "Evil lurks in these lands, the forest shows you the most traumatic memories of your past. And in some cases, the outcome of your future." She walked on ahead down the path towards Chevensti. Alec looked back at the forest, its bare trees fluttering in the wind.

The path that they were on started to incline. Alec could feel the pain in his knee alerting him to its presence. They reached the top of the incline looked over what was the old town of Chevensti.

There was an eerie beauty of the town with the overcast sky and bright sun trying to fight through the clouds. There was on beam of light that had broken through and was shining down on the fortress that was high up the mountain on the other side of the town.

"Chevensti, Alec Potter."

The town was starting too reclaimed by the forest. Houses where covered ivy and rubble littered in the streets.

"What can you tell me about the fortress?" Alec asked pointing up to derelict building.

"It was owned by Dracula." Erin said as they walked towards the main square. "It was supposedly his residence in the mortal world. A few years ago though a man took residence in it."

"Frankenstein." Erin nodded.

"He was supposedly trying to replicate his father's monster for Dracula." Erin explained. "The town's folk though stopped him. But at a terrible price."

"This." Alec said looking round at the destruction around him. Doors splintered and broken along with shattered windows along with dried blood spattered along the walls.

"Dracula doesn't take kindly to people meddling with his plans." Erin said. "He drove them into the forest where he slowly turned them mad."

They got to the gate of the fortress where the oak doors had been smashed in. Alec and Erin climbed through the gate and walked up the winding path to the fortress the wind making the trees sway. Something though in the distance caught his eye. A tower that was burned down with only some of its foundations still standing.

Alec walked up to the tower. He kneeled down on his haunches and ran his finger on the ground.

"Legend says that the monster came here." Erin explained. Alec looked up at Erin who was looking down at him.

"The villagers supposedly burned it down with the monster still inside. Though we don't know for sure." Alec got to his feet.

"It was just the mutterings of mad men." Alec looked around at the dilapidated fortress.

They reached the front door.

"Strange…" Alec ran his hand over the oak door.

"What's strange?" Erin asked.

"Everything in this town has been left to rot. Even the gate down there hasn't been repaired. But this door. It's brand new."

Erin now ran her hand over the door. "It is."

"My brother told me that engineers had been going missing." Alec said looking up at the door. Thunder rolled in and rain started to throw down.

"Do you want to knock or should I?" Erin raised her eyebrow at Alec.

"Fine." Alec kicked the door down as a lightning bolt tore across the sky and the thunder rolled in. Alec looked around the inside of the fortress, the inside looked like it was still suffering from fire damage. Part of the wall had been broken off and the only light coming in was from the moon light which made the darkness more apparent.

"What should we do?" Erin asked

Alec got down on his haunches and picked up what looked like a cable. With a flick of his wrist the cable seemed to be passing through the main hall.

"Up or down?" Alec pulled out his wand and held it out.

"Lumos." The tip of his wand lit up all around them. There was just one cable. There where hundreds of them.

"What are they for?" Erin asked.

"Has there been anyone coming and going from here?" Alec asked walking around.

"No, nothing in decades." Erin said walking past some of the cables. "We've been keeping an eye on this though how could anyone get through?"

"Hmmmm." Alec waved his wand and the walls suddenly had a wavy purple and white lines. Alec started laughed slightly and looked around.

"It's a cloaking charm." Alec said. "Someone didn't want you to see what was going on."

"What is going on here?" Erin asked. Alec looked down and saw the wires all went down a blast in the floor while they came from the ceiling.

"We need to split up." Alec said pulling a two way mirror from his coat pocket and handing it Erin.

"Two way mirror." He explained. "If you find something say my name into it and tell me." Erin nodded and took it away from Alec. "You follow them down and take them up." Alec took some capsules from his chest belt and handed them to Erin. "Just in case."

"Good luck."

"Huh. I don't believe in luck." Alec said now walking to a doorway that he hoped would take him upstairs. Alec pushed the door back and saw a staircase going up. Alec poked his head through and looked up. The staircase seemingly having no end. Alec started what would be the long walk up.

Alec ran up to the stairs to the very last door at the top. Alec pulled out his wand and pushed the door open slowly. His wand poked through the door and then Alec stepped out. It seemed quiet. To quiet.

The room Alec was in was bare but with lots of cables that went down a series of small vents. Alec looked up and gasped.

Above him the entire roof had been taken off and replaced by machines that where in full effect. Transformers and huge conductors that all seemed to be connected to spires that were in the air to collect lightning. The structure seemed to split into three tiers. The first tier gathered the electricity from the spires and then move it down to tier's two and three that amplified it and the distributed it down to wherever those cables went.

Alec saw movement up top. Small people, to wide and stocky to be children tending to the machines. They were in long leather coats with full face gas masks. They were tending to the machines, making sure they were all working.

Alec looked up and saw a platform which was by one of the windows that where still standing. That would give him a better view of the area. Alec fired a rope charm and started to climb up.

Alec pulled himself up onto the platform. The curtain fluttered in the wind across Alec as he looked down at the machines below him in states of disrepair while these…things, whatever they were trying to.

They looked like amplifiers if Alec had to guess. To amplify electrical current and spread it evenly. But to what though? Thunder rumbled outside and then lightning lit up the room below him. He had to follow the trail. He wondered how Erin was getting on in her pursuit.

When the coast was clear Alec jumped down again to the floor and looked more closely at the machines. The sparse lightning lighting up the room. The machines where very advanced for their time, he heard that Frankenstein had been a gifted engineer but he never thought that he had this ability within him.

Alec walked around came to a platform and looked up high at the celling. But the main electrical cable came from above and down here onto one single table.

"Maybe he did succeed." Thought Alec.

He had vanished, gone off the radar. Maybe this was where he's been hiding for so long. But this amount of machines wouldn't be needed to bring one monster to life. So why where there so many.

The sound of something dropping made Alec turn to a door at the very back of the room. Alec gingerly walked toward it. His steps echoing on the floor and the lighting again lighting up the room for around a second before going back into darkness. Alec opened the door.

Nothing.

Another noise from behind him made him turn and the sound of footsteps coming towards him. Alec ducked inside the doorway and pulled his hood up. He closed the door so he could see through a gap.

Two women in white gowns came flowing through the room. They were the same gowns that Dracula's bride was wearing, if there was baby Vampires downstairs then maybe this was being used to bring them to life.

"Begin the process." A male voice said behind him in a thick Transylvanian accent. "It should work now."

"Yes master." One of the women said in her thick accent to.

"Shit." Alec looked around, he needed to stay here for longer, but he had to get down to the basement to stop the electric current getting to the vampires.

But he couldn't, he couldn't risk being seen here, especially since he had only just got to Romania. He looked up saw what looked like a grate. He noticed some of the cables went down the grate. He looked back at the brides starting the machines and knew his decision.

He ran, slid along the floor and slid under the grate. Alec fell down a deep dark drop. He counted on it being this deep. He grabbed hold of one of the cables as he slid down. His hands burned with the friction until he hit the bottom and rolled out onto the floor. Alec rubbed his hands and looked around. He couldn't see anything, he must be in the wine cellar. The wine would be brought through the grate and pulled up the main hall.

Alec routed around in his inside pocket and pulled out his wand. He shook it and the tip lit up, he lifted it over his head.

"What in the?" Alec raised the light higher to make sure he wasn't dreaming. There whole room was covered top to bottom in slimy green sacks, about the size of a toddler around the room.

"You took your time." Erin said walking from behind one of the sacks.

"Dracula and his brides are powering up the machine." Alec said moving towards the nearest one. "Along with these things."

"What things?" Erin asked.

"There, small. Wore gas marks."

"The Nergi." Erin replied. "Dracula's minions, no one really knows what they are, but if you get the chance to, kill them. Because they'll do worse to you."

He placed his free hand on the sack. He needed to find out what was inside. The part of the job he loved the most.

Alec punched hard and shattered the outer casing of the sack, it spurted green slime onto the floor.

"What are you doing?" Erin asked.

"Seeing what where going up against." Alec replied

Alec reached in and pulled out more of the green slush. It smelt revolting. The last piece he pulled out revealed a small creature inside. It looked like a bat humanoid.

"Huh?" said Alec. "This is what happens when vampires mate." Alec held the light up and inspected the pod. Connected to the pod were two cables that went back up the grate. Alec's face frowned in confusion. Was he trying to…

His worst fear had been realised.

He was trying to bring them to life.

"Why aren't they moving?" Erin asked. "If they're babies shouldn't they be alive?"

"Vampires are the walking dead." Alec explained, taking his hand out of the sack. "It makes sense their children are born dead." He shook his head. "This is the army Voldemort warned me about. Dracula and his brides only killed one or two people a month." He looked back at Erin.

"How many when he brings these things to life?"

Alec cracked a few more snap lights and threw them in front of him. The room was then lit up with hundreds of thousands of those green sacks. Alec wasn't really surprised.

"There must be thousands…" Erin said walking forward.

"A man with three brides for over five hundred years. He had to do something." Alec replied.

It was way too dangerous to be left unattended. It needed to be destroyed, sod if they heard them or not.

Before he could finish there was a large bang. Alec instantly pulled out the shotgun. Alec elongated the barrels and primed it. He pointed it up the grate while Erin walked back. If it was a vampire, then he was more than prepared for it. But what treated him was a large ball of electricity that came down the cables and then spread across to the sacks.

Alec turned to try and get a better view of what was happening, the lightning making the sacks move. Alec prepped the gun and looked around, trying to find an escape.

"You need to go back."

"Like hell I do!" Erin said shaking her head and de-sheathing her sword. "I'm staying here with you."

"No, you're not." Alec said putting his shotgun down. "If these come alive then you need to get your people to safety as there's going to be panic. I can handle myself here but your better suited to helping your town. Take this." Alec threw her a bag containing the portkey he made earlier.

"It's a portkey. Take it outside, touch it and it'll take you home."

"I can help you though."

"That you can but your town needs you more than I do." Said Alec. Erin looked down at the floor, knowing that Alec was right.

"Go." Erin turned and ran towards the staircase back up to the Entrance hall. She looked back at Alec.

"GO!" Erin ran.

Another big bang got his attention. Another ball of electricity came hurtling down and spread out to the sacks. This time, they burst into life.

The bat humanoids squeaking and flapping their wings. Alec placed his arm, they just kept bouncing off him, they must be blind right now.

"There…There beautiful." Alec heard the voices from before. He quickly moved behind the pillar and gingerly looked around. Above the hall was a balcony that he hadn't noticed before. Up there was Dracula and his two remaining brides.

"Will they live?"

"I hope so." The Dracula said. "They need to feed, show them and the whole world we cannot be stopped." The two brides jumped off the balcony and transformed into their true vampire form which looked like more adult version of the bat humanoids. The brides flew out with most of the baby vampires while there where some stragglers left.

Alec had heard enough, this was where he came in.

He primed the shotgun and primed some garlic capsules. Alec ran and then slid across the floor so he was in the middle of the room. He fired the gun at one bat that blew up the second the bullet hit.

Alec cocked the shot gun and then fired at another that blew up to. He primed a capsule and then threw them up into the air at the cloud of human bats. It blew up, releasing the gas, paralysing and then melting them.

It was met by a shriek. Alec turned and primed the gun again. He walked closer to him and fired, picking of straggling vampires while Dracula just stood there with a look of horror on his face.

Alec threw another capsule and it exploded, causing more squeals of pain. He then picked off more stragglers with the gun. One of the vampires tried to make its way towards his father. Dracula placed his arm out to gather it in.

But Alec's bullet shattered it into a million pieces. Dracula looked down furious at Alec who primed the gun again and pointed it at Dracula.

"Now that I've got your attention." Said Alec. Dracula let out shriek and jumped from the balcony. Alec took a step back, Dracula then transformed into a bigger version of the baby vampires. Alec fired at him and a bullet went through the wing.

He then had to dodge and roll out of the way. Alec primed another capsule and waited for the return hit. Dracula turned swiftly and then swooped down. His legs primed to pick Alec up. Alec threw the capsule in the air and they exploded in Dracula's face. When the gas cleared he saw a paralysed Dracula crash into the floor. Making a huge crater and throwing dust up into the air.

Alec walked out of the smoke, reloading his gun and looked down at the paralysed vampire before him. He knew the garlic wouldn't work but the nerve gas did.

Interesting.

The body then cracked back into life, slowly at first, just the fingers. Alec primed the gun back on him and watched as the body moaned loudly and began to regain mobility. It then let out a screech and turned to Alec.

Neither moved for a moment, not really knowing how to conduct themselves.

Alec shot him.

The shell hit Dracula on the shoulder, sending him back and smashing into the floor. Alec went to again but saw that Dracula was now in his human form. Before he could even think, Dracula had sprung up and grabbed Alec by the throat.

Alec couldn't even find the strength the struggle against him.

"My undivided." Hissed Dracula. He palmed Alec in the chest and sent him flying across the room. Alec smashed into the wall at the opposite end of the balcony. He was surrounded by rubble and dust. He looked up and saw Dracula hovering towards him with his gun in hand.

Alec's hand wrapped around one of the pistols with a holy water bullet in the chamber.

"Now, what is it you want?" Alec fired the bullet. It hit Dracula in the chest, just where the heart should be. Dracula looked down at it and then back at Alec.

"Tut, tut, tut." He floated down on the floor and walked towards Alec slowly. His heeled shoes echoing around the floor.

"The ministry of magic must really be desperate." He said. "They have broken first and have sent there so called, 'saviour' to stop me."

He laughed.

"Alec Potter." Alec groaned and got to his feet; he tried to stand tall, but was slightly hunched from the pain in his back and the rubble falling from his coat.

"Count Dracula." Said Alec.

"Manners." Said Dracula nodding. "A rare trait nowhere days." He pointed to one of the remains of a sack.

"No amount of manners is going to be able to explain that."

* * *

As soon as she landed Erin threw the portkey to the ground.

Erin sprinted to edge of her town, thankfully none of the Vampires had made it there yet. She ran back to her house and activated the old war bombing horn that now doubled up as a Vampire alarm. The sound blared out as all the servants in the manor house ran past her as she made her way to her armoury. She picked up another sword, a quiver of arrows, and a bow along with an axe.

She walked back through the house and out onto the street. People where now running back down the mountains while other vampire hunters had armed up as well. Erin looked towards the fortress. Nothing in darkness stirred, it was unnerving. She paced forward under the full moon light and then heard a screech.

A few of the town's people Looked back to see what it was. But not in their worst nightmares had they witnessed something like this. Amelia and Francesca descending down on them with thousands of baby vampires. The cloud of them plotting out the sky.

"V-Vampires!" Amelia swooped down and picked up an old woman and threw her into the cloud of baby vampires that began to feast on her.

Chaos erupted as people went to hide. But there was nowhere to hide, nowhere to run, no more hope. Erin de-sheathed her sword and swung for one vampire that spit in half from her blade.

They were weak, they could be killed.

"Everybody attack!" she shouted.

* * *

Alec staggered back while holding his arm.

"I was expecting you to be turning up sooner." Said Dracula. "I wondered how far I would have to push before I was sent a real challenge. They almost seemed reluctant to."

"They were." Said Alec. "They thought you could be reasoned with." Dracula smirked and shook his head.

"But as you know, 'Madness cannot be reasoned or understood by sane men.' Am I correct?" Alec took another step back but Dracula still came towards him.

"Teddy Stone said that."

"I know." Said Dracula. "He was sent a good few years ago. To try and stop me, he didn't even come close to ending me."

"But I have you scared." Said Alec. "You saw what I did to Roseanna." Dracula's smirk vanished from his face into a scowl. "You know that I can kill your kind."

"And what exactly will that achieve?" asked Dracula. "Peace?" Alec couldn't answer.

"Heh, I thought not." Said Dracula. "Peace is western world's great lie. They think that peace means order, discipline, but there will always be those who rebel, rise up against it, challenge authority. And then you have a balance with your peace and your anarchy and still proclaim that it's peace. But if you look and the world's biggest kingdom, the animal kingdom, there is only the need to survive, to live within your means, humans are the only species that craves more power than it has, and that will be its downfall."

"So you want the world to live within its means?" asked Alec. Dracula nodded.

"All I want is life, Alec Potter, the continuation of my kind." Said Dracula. "The human race has had more than enough chances to change and become better but will always fail because it is in their nature."

"But what your doing will kill millions." Said Alec. "That isn't a message of peace, that's genocide."

"I have lived through wars Alec Potter." Said Dracula. "As have you, World war one killed millions of people, the war to end all wars they called it. The lives saved from that died in world war two."

"That was stopping a great evil." Said Alec. "Like this is." Dracula laughed.

"Man is the only true great evil." Said Dracula. "When humans kill everything on this planet, even each other, the last man on earth will realise that power doesn't feed you."

"Like your new ones going to be better." Said Alec. "There's only one problem with it."

"Humour me." Said Dracula.

"When the population of your new world rises, who are they then going to kill to survive?" asked Alec. "Because your kind need to kill to survive."

Alec walked towards him. "And when they figure that out, they are going to turn on each other, and your so call new utopia will fall back into human ways. Because at the end of the day, that's all you are." He pointed at Dracula's chest.

"Human."

"But under my leadership we will never fall into the old ways of man." He said. "With me as there one true leader."

"You sound an awful lot like Hitler now." said Alec. "That great evil I was talking about." Dracula looked furiously at him.

"I guess somethings never change do they…Vlad." Dracula screeched and went for him. Alec though had tossed a garlic capsule into the air. It exploded causing Alec to run off to the under floor grate and slid under the floor. He moved over to where the cables where and then pulled out his wand. He used a Roparo charm to grapple up the chute towards the chamber where the machines where. Alec sprang from the grate and could hear Dracula's screech from below him.

"Những gì đã được rằng, có được anh ta!" Alec saw the Nergi now running towards him.

They had to be destroyed. He placed some exploding capsules into his hand threw them at random machines.

They exploded on contact. The Nergi where running round trying to stop him, but Alec was able get away quickly.

He had to get to higher ground now. Alec ran over to a two way pulley system and slashed the rope. He grabbed hold of the cable as it lifted him into the air up towards the lightening conductors, he threw a few more capsules below him that caused a bigger explosion.

Alec looked up and saw the rope going over the loop, soon, he was going to as well. He readied himself as the loop over came closer, he jumped.

He rose high enough to place his foot on the loop and spring himself upwards. He saw the top of the structure and apparated.

He landed on the floor of the top of the tower. The wind was whipping around Alec as he got to his feet and looked out at the town which was being attacked by vampires.

SKREEE!

Alec turned as Dracula in his true vampire form smashed through the top of the tower. His big wings flapping impressively in the cold night. Alec readied himself. This wasn't going to be easy, even if he was facing Dracula in his prime it wasn't going to be easy, with him like this it was going to be difficult.

Dracula then turned back to his human form and stared Alec down.

"You cannot hide from me in my own castle!" He shouted. "I can sense your heartbeat!" He smashed a conductor out of the way so it was only him and Alec.

Alec ran forward and punched Dracula square in the jaw and all he did was smirk at him, like it had not affected him at all.

"You have heart." He said grabbing his hand. Alec tried to pull away but it was like his arm was caught in a vice. Alec looked up stared into the handsome face and blood red eyes. "You may prove yet useful." He breathed some white smoke out which Alec was forced to choke on.

"Aww." The voice sounded more demonic. Alec's head was spinning, he felt like spewing everywhere. A scene of his Auror training flashed before his eyes.

"Having trouble?" Alec looked back up at Dracula and saw what looked like a bat coming out of his mouth. Alec closed his eyes.

"Here, have a seat, take a drink." Alec felt something being thrown on him. Some sort of liquid. A flash from the battle of the Somme flashed across his eyes-then from the ring in the Icelandic mountains.

"You look like a man who takes himself too seriously." He saw Harriet's dead body in his arms.

"You want my opinion?" Alec looked up at him. His teeth where bared, almost like he was about to bite him.

"You need to lighten up." Alec twisted and fell off the platform.

Alec banged into the mountain side, he cried out in pain as he hit a few jaggered rocks and rolled down the mountain side, with the passages of his life flashing before his eyes. It almost felt like he was dying a reliving his life the images where so real. Alec then came to a stop on a relatively small piece of rock. Now, only one thing was playing in his mind. His daughter.

His Harriet.

Seeing her dead body before him, at the morgue, at the funeral, and seeing her head stone.

"Harriet…" he whispered. Another bout of visions hit him from his past. He tried to get up.

"Help me.." he whispered. "Harriet, help me." Alec slumped on the rock again with the rain. Another bout of gruesome images of death and destruction clouded his mind.

"Harriet…" he whispered again. The outside of his vision went black, he looked up and saw someone coming towards him. He went to stand up, but then passed out.

* * *

"That's silly."

"Trust me, you won't be saying that when this it's done." Said Alec. He was standing in his kitchen, the sun was bathing it in soft yellow light while he was gently pouring lemon juice over some strawberries. He looked up and saw Harriet swinging her legs happily over the kitchen counter. She must have been about five years old, long jet black hair and his blue eyes with a laugh and smile on her face.

"You put sugar on them, that's what mummy does." Said Harriet.

"Well I have my own ways." Said Alec, "Here." He picked one up and passed it to her, Harriet took it and bit into it. Her face lit up even more.

"Wow, that's great!" she said now eating the top. He hand then went over to try and get another one.

"No." said Alec patting her hand away. "Not until the base is ready."

"Mummy lets me." Said Harriet pouting. Alec laughed.

"And that's why you never have enough to decorate." He said. "You have to be patient."

"What does patient mean?" asked Harriet.

"What does it mean?" Harriet nodded. "Why do you want to know?" he asked.

"Because you and mum always say it to James." She said now looking at her dangling legs. "You say he wasn't born with it."

"Well he isn't." Admitted Alec. "It means to wait for a long time without getting bored." Harriet nodded.

"I like it now your home more." She said. Alec stopped and looked over at his daughter who was still looking down at her feet. "I didn't like it when you went away for ages."

"But you like it now I'm home." Said Alec. Harriet looked over at him and nodded with a toothy smile.

"I do, I love you daddy." Said Harriet. She leaned over and hugged him. Alec smiled to at the small girl and picked her up and held her tight to him.

"I love you to monkey." Said Alec kissing her hair. "Kinda glad to be home now." He looked down at his daughter, the same smile on his lips. Even in all his fantasies he never thought having kids would be so much fun. There humour and cheek, there inquisitiveness and bravado. But also their ability to make you feel appreciated without even knowing.

Ping

Well, looks like the base is ready." Said Alec placing her down and then opening the oven.

* * *

"Harriett…"

* * *

Harriet picked up a wild Lily from the forest floor and looked at it with wonder. Turning it in her fingers to admire it from every angle she could conceive in her head. Alec was picking up some wild mushrooms from the forest floor and looked over at her as she now walked off with the flower in her hand.

"Don't go too far." Said Alec as he checked the mushrooms. Alec picked up a couple more, satisfied they weren't poisonous and looked up to see Harriet on her knees looking over something.

"What are you looking at Monkey?" he asked inspecting some more mushrooms.

"It…it looks like a nest." Said Harriet. Alec frowned in confusion and looked up at his daughter.

"Did you say a nest?" he asked now walking over to her. He got on his haunches next to her and saw a birds nest in front of her with three little eggs inside the thick twigs and fur. Harriet's hand went out to touch it.

"Don't touch it." said Alec. Harriet retreated her hand as Alec felt the nest, it was still warm. It could have only just fallen out of a tree, he looked up and saw nothing that would give its position to him.

"Where's their mummy?" asked Harriet looking up to. Alec couldn't answer, the eggs would make a good meal for a fox so they should carry on.

"I don't know." Said Alec getting to his feet. "Come on, mum wants us back before it gets dark."

"We, we can't just leave them." said Harriet. "What if their mummy comes back for them?"

"Then she'll know where to find them." said Alec. "Come on, we need to get back."

"Where not leaving them." said Harriet. "If there mummy's gone then we have to take care of them."

"They need to be kept warm." Said Alec. "I'm sorry Harriet darling but we have to leave them." Harriet picked up the nest.

"No, we have to help them daddy." Said Harriet in an I know best voice. "You can build something to keep them warm."

"Harriet, put, the nest, down." Said Alec sternly.

"No!"

"It wasn't a question as it was an order Harriet." Said Alec. "Put the nest, down."

"No!" she said more forcefully. "Were helping these birds!" Alec shook his head in disbelief, he expected this sort of tantrum from James, but Harriet. She stared back at him with fire in her blue eyes. Alec almost wondered if that was what he looked like when he stared down his enemies

"Harriet, this isn't up for discussion." Said Alec. But before he could say another word she had burst past him back towards the house.

"Harriet!" Alec turned, dropping the mushrooms as he did.

Katherine was keeping a stern eye on James as he played with the football on the patio. He did about ten before it hit the floor. James huffed and then went back to doing it, his love of a challenge getting the best of them. She then looked up at the trees of the wood rustling in the wind and then Harriet striding out while holding something in her hands. Quickly followed by Alec who was shouting her name. It was loud enough for James to turn round and wonder what was going on.

"Harriet, get back here!"

"No!" she said continuing to walk up to the house. Katherine shook her head, when it wasn't James it was her. She placed the pasta down and went outside to see the commotion.

"Harriet, you listen to me when I'm talking to you!" said Alec.

"What is going on?" asked Katherine as she slided the patio door back and walked onto the patio.

"I found this nest." Said Harriet holding it up.

"Why are you holding that, Harri, but it back, the mother might not be able to find It." said Katherine.

"But it fell out of a tree." Said Harriet, "And there mummy wasn't around, we to look after them, feel it, it's still warm."

James was now sitting on his football watching the ensuing argument while Alec just now caught up. Katherine reached out and felt the nest which was still warm.

"I told her to put it back." Said Alec.

"It's not all bad, we can use the eggs to make an omelette." Said James.

"No!" said Harriet. "I'm putting it in the airing cupboard so it can keep warm. I think James Quidditch shirts should make it warm enough!" and she strode off into the house.

"Like hell she is!" said James running after her.

"You two!" Alec called after them, he turned to Katherine who was smirking.

"What are you smiling at." Said Alec as he went in after them.

"They are so incredibly your children." Sniggered Katherine as they went in after them. They went upside and saw James standing by the airing cupboard banging on the door.

"James, go back outside, we'll deal with this." Said Katherine.

"She better not have got mud over my shirts." Said James. "You'll make sure of that."

"Yes sweetheart, we will." Said Katherine. "And don't cause any trouble." James looked at his parents and then trudged back outside.

Alec went to try to door but it was locked.

"She's magically locked herself in there." He whispered. Katherine patted him on the shoulder.

"Why don't you let me handle this." Said Katherine. She kneeled down by the door.

"Harriet, Harriet, sweetheart, are in there."

"Go away." she said.

"Harriet, dear we only want to help." Said Katherine.

"But we can't just leave them." said Harriet. "We have to keep them warm or they'll die." Katherine looked up at Alec who had folded his arms.

"Well, I think your dad said he would build them an incubator." Said Katherine. Alec went to argue but Katherine wordlessly shushed him. There was silence from behind the door.

"What's an incubator?" asked Harriet.

"It will keep the eggs warm." Said Katherine. "Your father said he'd make one but you have to open the door first." Harriet pushed the door open timidly and looked at her mother through the gap while her mum smiled kindly at her.

"Come on trouble, we need to eat dinner as well." She said. Harriet opened the door and looked at Alec who nodded encouragement.

"You promise?" she asked. Katherine looked back at Alec who sighed.

"Ok, I'll start work on it." he said. "Might be something James might want to do as well."

"Well, best you get started then." Said Katherine. "I don't want those eggs muddying my airing cupboard. Alec went to argue but couldn't as Harriet hugged his leg fiercely.

"Love you daddy, you're the best." Said Harriet. She then scampered off down the stairs.

"Wait, can't I have dinner first?" asked Alec. Katherine shook her head.

"That's what you get for being the world's greatest dad." She said with a coy smile as she followed Harriet's footsteps. Alec went to speak but in the end couldn't think of anything. How was he putty in that girls hand?

* * *

"You're hurt, stop fighting it." Alec groaned and tried to move. "No, no movement."

"Harri…"

* * *

"Send more men in." The woman at the top of the frozen mountain ordered. The cold wind billowed the long cloak around her front. She looked down at the man in the pit. Three days without sleep, without any rest, and a pile of bodies around him.

His black hair wet from the snow and his clothes ripped and worn from the endless onslaught of men.

One went in. He threw a punch and he caught it. Swiftly jabbed him in the stomach and then uppercut him into the ice below. He countered the next one with his elbow and backhanded the man in the face.

He then flipped the next one over his head and placed him in an arm lock and then broke his arm. He looked back at the crowd of men at the edge of the ice pit, he growled and they slowly backed away.

The woman on the top of the mountain frowned as her servant returned to the top of the mountain, his own black cloak billowing in the snow and wind.

"How long has the trial lasted?" she asked.

"Three days, fourteen hours." The servant said. The woman looked down at the men cowering at the edge of the pit. Not one of them daring to go in.

"Why aren't they going in?" she asked. The servant stopped next to her. "He does know that he can't leave until he kills one of them." She said.

"The men are afraid mistress." He said. She turned sharply to him, only one eye visible from the hood of her cloak.

"What do you mean their afraid?" she asked.

"The men refuse to go in because they are scared of him." The servant repeated. "They are afraid of what he can do."

One of men let out a battle cry and raced into the pit. The man inside the pit roundhouse kicked him into the floor.

"Of how much pain he can deal out." One more raced and went to grab him. He just placed his hand up and knocked the guy clean out.

"They are scared because he doesn't, fear, death."

Alec turned to the top of the mountain.

* * *

Alec opened Harriet's door, she was sleeping peacefully on her bed, wrapped up in her blankets. Alec walked over silently and shook her awake gently.

"Harriet." He said softly, "Harriet. Come on, wake up." Harriet groaned and turned over, not quite ready to get up yet.

"Harriet, your eggs are hatching." Said Alec. Harriet was much more awake now.

"Really." she said. Bringing her blanket up to her face. Alec nodded. "I thought you might want to look." Harriet nodded. Alec passed Harriet her dressing gown. After she put it on he lifted her up and carried her down stairs and outside to the garages. He opened the door to number three and placed her down on a stool that overlooked the benches.

On it was a small box that was filled with thickly compressed straw with the birds nest inside with powerful lamps around it. Inside one of the eggs was gently rocking side to side. Alec looked down at his daughter who was looking at it with wide eyed wonder. After a couple of minutes watching one of the eggs cracked. Harriet's breath hitched and she grabbed onto her dads arm as the top came off and revealed a small bird that tweeted gently.

"Wow…" said Harriet with wonder. Her little face lit up with excitement as the other two slowly hatched as well. She turned to Alec

"You're the best, dad." said Harriet and hugged him tightly. In that moment, all the hard work of making that sodding incubator was worthwhile.

"HARRI!" Alec went to get up but was pushed back down and restrained.

"No, movement!" Alec was then breathing deeply before falling back into slumber.

Alec was working on his Aston Martin DB5. The brakes had been a little sloppy, he wanted to know what was wearing them down so quickly. He was inspecting the brake pads when he heard Harriet's voice float from the garage next door.

"Hey you guys, I got some fresh worms for you to eat."

It had been a few weeks and Harriet had really become smitten with her new birds. But, they were becoming too big for the incubator and would have to learn to fly soon. Alec had tried to put if off but it was now becoming a question of when rather than if.

"We need to talk." Alec looked up and saw Katherine leaning on the door pane. "You said you were going to talk to her about letting the birds go."

"And I was." Said Alec not looking up at her as he removed the old brake disc and turned it over in his hands.

"So why haven't you?" she asked now sitting down next to him.

"It…hasn't come up."

"Like hell it hasn't." said Katherine. She placed her hand on his to lower the disc on to the floor.

"You're scared she'll be heartbroken at the thought." she said.

"Don't be ridiculous." He said. "She'll deal with it just fine." He went to pick up the disc again but was stopped by Katherine again.

"I fear the day those two decide to fly our own nest." She said now shuffling closer to Alec. "I fear that I will be a blubbering wreck who will be scared over nothing."

"But we will be." Said Alec.

"We know the world is a dark and dangerous place." Said Katherine. "I just don't want them to be subjected it to the just yet." Alec nodded.

"Harriet, dear, come in here." They both looked at one another as their daughter came skipping into the garage.

"Yeah, what is it?" she asked.

"Harriet, we have to talk about your birds." Said Alec.

"I know there getting really big now." said Harriet. "Can you build them a bigger box?"

"…Harriet, your birds are getting to big to stay in the barn now." said Alec. "We…we have to think about letting them go." Harriet's face dropped from a smile to one of shock.

"What?" she said lightly.

"Harriet, there becoming too big to stay in there." Said Katherine. "Your father's right, we have to think about putting them back into the wild."

"No." said Harriet shaking her head. "There, there my birds! You can't get rid of them!" She ran out of the room. Alec and Katherine both got up and went to the barn door. Alec saw Harriet run off into the house with the box in her hands.

"Harriet." Alec called tiredly.

They both went to the house and went inside. James was standing in the hallway looking up the stairs.

"Did your sister pass through here?" asked Katherine.

"Yeah." James turned round. He looked down his top and saw a huge wet mark down his t-shirt and a glass on the floor. "She seemed a little upset."

"We'll go talk to her." said Alec. He ruffled James's hair and then walked up the stairs towards her room. Katherine knocked on the door.

"Go away!" Katherine opened the door and they both walked inside. Harriet was looking down at the box gently rocking up and down on the bed.

"Harriet." Katherine sat down on the bed next to her daughter and hugged her. "They're getting very big now. We have to let them go."

"But…they'll die?" said Harriet.

"They won't." Said Alec now sitting on the bed next to her. "They know how to survive." Harriet looked up at him with sad eyes.

"Part of life is about letting go." Said Alec. "One, day, me and your mother will have to do that." Harriet started to cry and hugged Alec who returned the gesture. Katherine took the box away from her and placed it on her bed.

* * *

Harriet looked back at her parents who smile encouragement, she picked up one the blackbirds and threw it up in the air. The bird flapped strongly and then flew off over the trees. She picked up another and threw it off into the sky.

She sighed and looked at the two tiny dots begin to fly off into the distance.

"Pewwww!" Harriet's neck shot up to the window and saw James leaning out of it with his hands mocked up like he was holding a wand.

"Gotchya." He said.

"Why do you have to be so mean!" Harriet started to cry and ran off into the house. Both Katherine and Alec looked up at James who was still giggling to herself.

"What?" he asked. "Come on, it was a little funny."

"You should be more sympathetic." Said Alec from the patio. "She is your sister, you should try and help her instead of taking the mick." James pulled a face.

"Go on. Go say you're sorry." Said Katherine. James groaned loudly and theatrically went back inside his room.

"He could just make it worse." Said Alec.

"Come on. Where going to make sure he doesn't." said Katherine. They walked up to the house up the first floor. It was strangely quiet. Maybe too quiet.

"Put how will they get food?" It was Harriet's voice. Katherine pushed the door open slightly. Harriet was sitting on the floor with James who had a protective arm around her.

"They'll be fine." James said rubbing her shoulder. "You raised them, they're going to be the best birds ever." Harriet cuddled up to her brother. Katherine looking back at Alec.

"See." She turned round and walked past him. "They are your children."

* * *

Alec opened his eyes slowly. He blinked and saw a drink next to him, it looked like water but it was fizzing slightly. He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. How long had he been out?

"You're awake." Alec turned round and saw Erin at the door. She looked concerned at him.

"What happened to me?" asked Alec now sitting up.

"Drink that." Said Erin. "It'll help your head ache." Alec picked up the glass. He sniffed it, nothing poisonous as far as his smell went. Alec drank. It fizzed down his throat and he could instantly feel his head ache clear.

"What happened?" asked Alec again. "The Vampires."

"They blew up after twenty minutes." Said Erin. "The electrical current wasn't strong enough to sustain them."

"What was the damage?" asked Alec.

"Forty three dead." Said Erin. Alec bowed his head.

"What happened to me?" asked Alec

"You were hit by Dracula's fear smoke." Said Erin as she sat down on a chair in the room. "People say they show you nightmares from your past and your worst fears over and over again."

"That's true." Said Alec going to get up.

"No, no sit down." Said Erin helping him down.

"No, we need to get to the fortress." Said Alec. "His plan-"

"Has been burned down." Said Erin. She walked over to the window and pointed outside. In the cloudy day Alec could see the charred remains of the castle in the distance.

"Damn." He said looking at the destruction.

"It's a good thing." Erin said walking back round.

"No it isn't." said Alec now getting out of bed.

"Why not?" asked Erin.

"Do you know what they were doing?" asked Alec.

"I was on my way to finding out before I had to rescue you." said Erin bitterly.

"Well I did." Said Alec grabbing his t-shirt. "They were using electrical amplifiers to try and bring baby vampires to life." He threw his coat over him.

"Yes, and?" asked Erin.

"And, if they have burned that down, where are they going next?" asked Alec. Erin's mouth opened in shock.

"Where going to have to do what hasn't been attempted in centuries." Said Alec looking at her. "We have to find his lair."


	29. Chapter 29

Erin walked into the library to see Alec with an assortment of books around him. Erin rolled her eyes and walked in further towards him. He was sitting cross legged on the floor reading an old book on the history of the area.

"Do you ever sleep?" She asked.

"When it's useful." Alec replied, his eyes scanning the page.

"I didn't know you spoke Old Transylvanian."

"It's a little rusty but I get the general idea." Alec didn't look up from the page.

"No one has found his fortress before." Erin said moving some books and sitting on a table beside him. "There's nothing to go on. Not even clues."

"Every animal leaves tracks in cannot hide." Alec said looking up at her. "Newt Scamander taught me that. You have to find three things, a place to feed, a place to drink, and a place to hide. Depending on the animal they shouldn't be to far away from one another." He looked back at the books.

"How did Dracula come back?" Erin asked. Alec looked up at her. Erin shrugged. "He was missing for years and then he came back. You know something. I know you do." Alec looked down at the page.

"I'm not sure of the details myself." He said. "Before you were born Dracula was the most powerful being in existence. He would regularly be able to wipe out cities, your ancestors did there best but they needed help." Alec got to his feet.

"That's where my mentor came in. Teddy Stone. He was tasked with a Deep Blacks Op Mission." He saw Erin's blank look. "A mission that's deeply classified, no one knows about it but a few individuals."

"You included."

"Now, yes." Alec replied. "The mission was clear. Kill Dracula. We thought he succeeded, he sent Dracula's skull back to me and we thought it would be the end of it."

"But."

"But the powers that be sent it back to your people to keep as a gift." Alec explained. "I told them to keep it in cold storage. Your people lost the skull in a civil war where it was lost."

"You seem bitter, it's our heritage." Erin said.

"They thought that hiding it in plain site would be best, but they were wrong. A few years later I then tracked it down to a weapons dealer in World War One who kept it as a good luck token. He was about to hand it over to someone much worse who knew what it could unleash."

"Who was it?"

"That's not relevant now. I got the skull and brought it back, placing it in cold storage."

"So how is it he's been freed?"

"Someone broke into the storage and got him." Alec said. "Not many people could do that."

"So, it's your governments fault." Erin said nodding.

"Yes, and being the good cleaner I am I'm here to stop him." Erin looked down. "I'm sorry Erin."

"And it's only taken them till now to take this seriously."

"Politicians aren't known for their sense of urgency." Alec said. Erin though was wiping away angry tears. She got up from her seat and walked towards Alec. As he turned she slapped him across the face.

"I have lost things, you could never understand!" She panted angrily while Alec put his hand to his face. "Friends, family, loved ones." She said. "People have lost everything because you thought that we weren't important enough!" Alec looked down.

"And I am the one who lives with those choices." Alec said.

"You don't understand the choices. You may think you do, but what do you have to live with?" Erin said walking past him and out of the library. Alec looked down and ran a hand through his hair. He looked up at the library and caught his reflection in the mirror across the room. His blue eyes looked every one of their years.

"Demons." Alec whispered to himself. "Lots and lots of demons." He sat down again and picked up the book he was reading before Erin came into the room. A lot more of what he had done over the years now weighing heavily on his mind.

"One last time." He told himself. He looked down at the book and tore a page from the book. He walked to the exit, wordlessly summoning his coat which her effortlessly but on.

* * *

He should have seen it earlier really. There was always something said for hiding in plain sight. Alec was standing at the mouth of the Hoia Baciu forest. The grey day coming through the light of the trees. Alec stood looking down the pathway which led around. The wind made the bottom of his coat flutter in a gentle breeze.

Hoia Baciu, a forest that over the course of a millennia had earned a reputation of one of the most 'Haunted' places in the world. People turning mad through one journey in the woods while others simply never returned. The locals now left it abandoned, stories past down generation to generation about it's evil.

Why something like this was here in the heart of vampire country was beyond Alec. But the universe was rarely lazy. Something about this forest had been calling to him. It was in theory the perfect place to hide, or mount an attack. This was why they could never find where the vampires came from.

Alec walked into the forest, as soon as he fully walked in a sharp up gust of wind came over him. Alec smirked to himself. He walked further down the round he noticed that fog now appeared at his feet while the trees beside him where unseeable from the fog.

Alec heard a twig snap which made him turn around in a circle and pull his wand out. But the fog had now swirled round him so much he could barley in front of him.

"Don't panic." Alec told himself. "Don't panic. Remember your training." He closed his eyes. The fog was trying to disorientate him. The wind picked up, what was a small flutter was building up to gale force winds around Alec, the ends of his coat now flapping in the wind. The wind though was whispering in his ear. All the failures and disappointments in his life trying to probe his mind.

"It's not real." Alec told himself. "It's not real, none of it. Magic doesn't work like this." Alec gritted his teeth. He put his arms up against the wind that was trying to force him back. The wind still whispering in his ear.

"Traitor!"

"Idiot!"

"Disappointment."

"Stupid."

"Chaotic."

"Brash."

"Arrogant."

"You're not real!" Alec said. "None of you are!" The wind picked up. "I am Alec Potter. You are not real!"

"Hello Son." His father. The wind died down. He hadn't heard his dads voice in so long. The wind had died down to barely a breath. Alec opened his eyes slowly. He was in a clearing in the wood with the fog round the outside.

"Dad."

"Son." Alec turned around on his heel with his wand trained on what looked like his dad. It certainly looked like him. The same black hair, but unlike his own it was trimmed to a neat cut with the same moustache and dress robes he wore.

"Son, put the wand down."

"You're not real." Alec said. "You're dead. I saw the body."

"Even now you're still the disappointment." His father said. "Still not living up to your potential." Alec smirked.

"That sounds more like something mum would say." Alec said.

"I still do." Alec turned again and saw his mother. A strict woman with white hair with small streaks of red in it. Her pointed features still looking down at him, with his own blue eyes.

"The Auror's. Dirty profession." She said. "Even with all your training you still couldn't save your own child."

"Cry me a river." Alec gritted out. "The fog, it's a demon, prying into my mind and making me talk to people I can't stand. My mother, clever."

"Or ones that get under your skin." Now Alec felt the hairs on his skin stand on end.

He turned slowly to see a thin man with a manic grin. He stepped towards Alec who lowered his wand.

"Hello Alec." He said fondly. "Now you know I'm not dead."

"Should be." He laughed and clapped his hands.

"You know." He strode forward and pointed his finger at Alec. "That's what I love about you Alec. You think your actions make you have some sort of…moral compass." He clapped his hands again, still laughing.

"It's hilarious, really." He said. "You thinking you're so, above it all." He laughed again. "You know, worlds greatest detective Alec Potter, never makes an error, always saves day." He suddenly turned serious.

"But, me and you." He pointed to the two of them. "We know the truth."

"That I am the Worlds Greatest detective."

"Oh, you would love to think that wouldn't you." He said. "No, I can see it, inside you. That darkness." He pointed at Alec's heart.

"We can't always deny what's in there now can we." He said with a raised eyebrow. "I maybe a monster but you are right, there is something to hiding in plain sight." He turned around to face Alec.

"One day, they will see you for the monster you truly are." He was now face to face with Alec.

"You're just jealous." Alec said nodding.

"Jealous?" He said with a quirked eyebrow. "How can I be jealous." Alec pulled a knife and thrust it into the man in front of him. He looked down at the blade, but no blood was coming out. He looked up at Alec.

"Devious, even for you."

"You know what they say." Alec thrust the knife deeper. "There's no honour in a street fight."

"What is it you want?"

"I want to know where I can find Dracula." Alec said. "I know he phases through to this world via this forest."

The man smiled and faded into dust. Alec looked at the knife and saw it turn to dust to.

"Dreams are just a different brand of consciousness. Some enemies in the past have tried to use this against me." Alec explained. "But I've always prepared for something like this. Control over dreams." Alec looked down at the floor. "I've just given you enough to form a connection." He closed his eyes and in front of him Harriet formed. Alec opened them to see her with a cheeky smile. The way he remembered her.

"Enough to let me find what I'm looking for."

He kneeled to her level.

"I need to find the place the vampires come from." Alec said. "Can you show me?" Harriet nodded and walked away. Alec got to his feet and followed her through the dense branches. They made it to another clearing which didn't look any different. Alec looked around.

"What does this mean?" Harriet stopped in the middle and pointed forward. Alec walked on a little and saw that that tree she was pointing at. The trunk was curved towards the clearing while all the others were straight. Harriet then pointed to another tree which was the same, then another, and another. Alec nodded. The trees must help with something.

"Ok." He said. "How do I get in?"

"You're the detective." A demonic voice rang out around the wood. "You figure it out."

The scene faded, the trees, the clearing, Harriet, everything. The scene then flipped. What he was left with was another part of the forest, more specifically he was on the path that led into and probably out of the forest. The path though wasn't the bluish grey he saw when he walked in but a soft orange glow.

Alec at least knew what he was looking for now. The clearing with the four curved trees. Alec rubbed his temple. Mind Attacks where always difficult to get over. He turned and walked back out of the forest.

* * *

Erin was sitting on her bed with the sun pouring in. She was looking at photos of her and her family. Old photos from a bygone area. Vampire hunting had been in her family for generations. Only though to hide her families shame.

But to think that it got worse because people in another country didn't care about their suffering. Because it wasn't them being hunted, and killed for sport. But now that Alec Potter was here. Maybe it would be different. She shouldn't of snapped at him like she did. At the end of the day he was only here to help.

Erin's fingers lightly traced a photo of her and her mother who was kissing her hair while Erin smiled for the camera. Erin thought of the sacrifices her mother had made for her, so she could have a normal childhood. Erin got up from the bed and walked into the library where all of Alec's research was laid out while one of the maids was cleaning.

"Where did Mr Potter go?" Erin asked.

"He went out." The maid replied. She looked up at the clock. "He's been gone for most of the day."

"Has he." Erin walked to the book that he had been reading this morning while the maid walked out. A book on Ancient Demonology with a page open on The Fog. An old demon that had to power to distort reality. Erin leaned in closer.

 _The fog has the ability to distort reality around a certain area. Old demon generals used to confuse enemies on the battle field. It was known to cause hallucinations which would make men fear it._

Erin frowned at the book.

He had a mind like no other. Her family had spent years pouring over these books and never found a link. But he had gone to the forest on a hunch. Maybe The Fog was the reason they could never find the location of his fortress.

Erin shook her head and looked at the other things Alec had been looking at. Her fingers touched a scroll outlining her family tree. Then underneath it.

"You never told me you were related to Dracula." Erin turned to see Alec walking into the library. From underneath Erin pulled out a piece of parchment which had an Arch Decree from Royalty. Decreeing the change of name.

"It's something we don't shout about." Erin said in a low voice.

"Well, I know where Dracula is hiding."

"What?"

Alec walked to a book, opened it and handed it to Erin who took it. The book was on the Hoia Baciu.

"You have to be joking." Erin said. "How did you get out?"

"Not my first time with mindbenders." Alec said. "I need to get ready."

"Ready? Ready for what?"

 **The Marauders Proudly Present Alec Potter in The Marauders: Year Two**

 **Chapter Twenty-Nine**

 **Dracula Vs Alec Potter**

 **Written by Chambers10**

"You're Crazy."

"So, I've been told." Alec said picking up his garlic pellets.

"You can't just go to his fortress, you are outnumbered and out gunned and on his turf. You are going to lose." Alec laughed and turned to Erin.

"I've been in situations like this before." He said. "There is no such thing as home advantage."

"You've never fought Dracula."

"Actually, I have." Alec said turning around. "At the castle." He applied his chest armour along with his arm guards.

"You barely escaped with your life." Erin pointed out. "What can I do to talk you out of this?"

"Nothing." Alec said. "This needs to end now." He walked over to his shotgun and loaded it up. He then picked up a belt of bullets and tied them over his shoulder and across his chest.

"Besides, wasn't it you who wanted me to kill Dracula?"

"Not at the expense of your own life." Erin replied. Alec turned his face to see her.

"That's how this works." He said getting

"You're going to war with him?" Erin asked.

"He's the one who brought the war to us." Alec said. "Count how many people he and his vampires have killed, thousands. What's next, the continent, millions? After that, the world, billions."

"But what if you die?"

"It doesn't matter if I die." Alec said. "Dracula has the power to wipe out the entire human race. And there is a good chance that he will do just that. We have to take this as a credible threat because him and his vampires killing every last person on earth is an absolute certainty." Alec turned to Erin.

"And this no time to be compromising." Alec said shaking his head. "I have to destroy him. And there is no time to waste with what he's planning."

"But no one knows how to kill him though."

"I'm good at thinking on my feet." Alec reached into his pocket and pulled out the map and handed it to her. "Take this, send it to Hogwarts to Albus Dumbledore. Got it?" Erin nodded. Alec turned and picked up his black coat and shook it down. He then turned it round and put it on. He breathed out and looked down at his hands in their fingerless gloves. Alec clenched his fist.

"Good luck." Alec stopped. He looked over at Erin who looked at him up and down. "You're going to need it." She walked away. Alec looked down at the floor and then at the door. He was already committed to this. Alec walked out of the house.

The dark trees swayed more as the driving rain came down in full force, the sound of laughter in his ears, he had to ignore it though. The forest was a magical battleground.

Alec walked into the forest, with the wind picking up and the same whispers in his ear from earlier.

"It's the forest." He told himself. "It's just the forest." Alec continued walking till the path itself disappeared into the trees. Alec started to navigate through the trees till he came to the bare patch of land. In the dark of the night and battering rain it was nervily still. He remembered it from the vision.

He looked to the top end and saw a curved tree that was out of place. He looked through the thick rain and saw the same tree around the edge.

Alec walked into the bare patch of trees. As soon as he got to the centre of the clearing a very stiff gust of wind whipped across making the bottom of Alec's coat fly up.

Alec reached into his pocket and pulled out the ground powder for the phasing spell. Even though most magic could now be achieved by wands a lot of old magic was only achievable by doing practical spells. Alec set out the satanic star with the green powder. He threw the vial away and then got out the teleportation powder and set out the satanic cross with it.

He could feel Gilgamesh reacting to the energy around him. With the stage set Alec kneeled down on the clearing on one knee. If his hunch was correct then this was the doorway to Dracula's Dimension, the demon realm.

"Ego vis ad introitum in terram hanc daemonis." The satanic star lit up blood red. "Obligatur ex Dei. Et in nomine hoc recludit!" Alec's vision went purple and the world seemed to flip upside down. The scenery flashed before his eyes, the dark forest where he was before was replaced by somewhere different

The wind was howling, and thick snow was coming down from the dark sky. Alec looked around. This place, wherever it was. The sky was dark with thick snowdrops falling down, the land was baron Alec was on top of what looked like a rock structure carved out from a mountain face, a circular platform raised up from the ground with a jiggered rock field below him. There was only one path that lead ahead.

Alec walked forward, his boots crunching on the fresh snow. He looked back and saw that the phasing spell was still active, the blood red signs a beacon in this wasteland.

There was rumble in the distance. Alec looked up and saw a streak of lightning flash across the sky, in the distance Alec could see what looked like a carving of a demon that was trapped in a glacier. He could feel Gilgamesh pulsating. Maybe…maybe he was in the demon realm. Another flash of lightning showed of what he had come to see.

Dracula's fortress. A dark impending structure that looked stood out on the white surface of the snow. Alec looked over to his left and saw the rock field, their jaggered edges would be perfect to cause damage as well as being a perfect place to hide.

Dracula was a very difficult foe, the normal method of stopping Vampires wouldn't slow him down. Alec had to survive long enough to find a weakness. Maybe just try and survive.

He would need every advantage he could find. Alec walked into rock field, clambering over the rocks. Alec stopped by a huge clearing in the rock field that was covered in snow. All Alec had to do now was get Dracula's attention. Alec thought about sending up a flare, but he had a better Idea.

Alec got his wand out and with a wave of it chunks of rock broke off and hovered in the sky. Alec shook it and then pointed it up at the sky.

"Maxima!"

Some of the rocks flew across the sky and smashed into fortress, some of them sending more chunks of rock into the valley below the castle. Alec watched the rock bombard the fortress, his coat fluttering in the wind like a cape his mouth curling into a smile.

* * *

Dracula was sitting in his throne room looking into the mirror. He liked seeing the town's people gripped by fear, but he needed more power for his machine to bring his next batch of children to life, to survive for longer than a few hours.

He was looking at the Valarious house where Alec Potter was recovering after blowing up Castle Frankenstein. That had been three days ago, and nothing.

Dracula would like to think that age was the reason for this prolonged recovery period. But a weary body usually meant a strong mind.

BOOOM!

Dracula stood up and looked to the window. It sounded like an explosion.

BOOOM!

Dracula walked slowly to the window, with a wave of his wrist the snow cleared. Hundreds of rocks smashing against his house.

Dracula squinted to where the rocks were coming from. He looked across the rock fields that surround his fortress. The Jaggered rocks betrayed nothing, but then he saw something standing on one of the rocks. A black coat was billowing in the wind violently and the snow battering Alec Potter.

"Very bold." Dracula said to himself. He laughed and rose up into the air. Darkness surrounding him and clothing him in his suit. He landed on the floor and placed his hand on the door which vanished.

Dracula floated out into the storm. The beam of light was still circling the sky, it then passed over Dracula and it stopped.

Alec stopped the hail of rocks when he noticed Dracula floating figure in the sky. He started to come closer, Alec could see the tails of his suit flutter in the wind along with the tied back hair. This was it, the fight of his life against a seemingly immortal enemy. Gilgamesh formed a mouth guard round Alec's mouth.

"Well." He had his arms outstretched. "Here I am." Dracula looked down at Alec and smirked.

"I can't decide whether you're the bravest man I ever faced, or a complete fool." Dracula shouted above the storm. "Not many people have come here and lived to tell the tale."

"You've gone too far." Alec said taking a step forward. "This is the end for you." Dracula laughed.

"So, this is it…Alec's Potter last stand." Dracula said. Sarcasm ripping from his voice. "I hope you're ready."

Dracula dropped to the floor, sending snow flying up in the air, the shockwaves making the bottom of Alec's coat rattle in the sharp wind. "Because you clearly have no idea what you're about to get yourself into. I'm immortal."

"Two letters to long." Alec pulled out his wand. Powerful soundwaves shot out of the end of Alec's wand and crashed into Dracula who stood firm like it didn't faze him. Dracula outstretched his arms and then clapped hard. The force sent out counter shock waves that send Alec flying back and smash into the rock face behind him.

Alec dropped to floor on one knee and looked up at Dracula. Alec reached behind and felt his shotgun. Dracula was striding towards him.

Alec pulled out the shotgun elongated it and fired it at Dracula, hitting him in the shoulder and sending him flying back. Before Alec had a chance to fire again Dracula was on his feet and grabbed the gun. He crushed the barrels and squeezed it into ball and dropped it. The sound of metal on rock echoing around them. Alec looked up at Dracula.

"You're nothing without your toys." Alec popped a capsule out of his belt and split it open, unleashing a huge orange cloud. Dracula hissed and then flew back from Alec. That gave him some time at least to regroup. Alec pulled out his grenade launcher.

"Gilgamesh, visual." The demon armour formed over his face which gave him a clear view of Dracula in the smoke. Alec fired the grenade at him. Dracula though turned around and caught it.

"You think toys can hurt me!" Dracula crushed it in his hand to reveal more garlic smoke. Hopefully that would slow him down.

"You hide behind your inventions and illusions like a coward!" Dracula hollowed.

"Like your brave?"

Dracula looked up and saw Alec striding through the smoke, his coat fanning the smoke slightly. Dracula smirked and went for the punch. Alec placed his hand up to counter. The sound of them colliding was so powerful it made the snowflakes stop momentarily. Dracula looked at the two arms in dismay, how was he being blocked by a mortal.

"Hiding in this castle while sending your minions to kill innocents!" Alec laughed. "Yeah, real brave!" Alec punched Dracula hard in the face, uppercut to the stomach and then a sharp side chop to Dracula's throat that made him splutter.

Alec then swivel kicked Dracula into the rock field. Dracula hit a large rock with a spike on it. Alec laughed and wiped his mouth. He was actually winning.

Dracula roared and went for him, his jump splintering the ground. Alec caught him and threw him into the ground and stepped back. Dracula slowly got to his feet and looked up at Alec. He went for the punch but was blocked again, Dracula went to swipe him, but Alec grabbed his claw and snapped it. Dracula cried out in pain, Alec picked him up by the neck and threw him across the boulder littered floor. Dracula bounced on the floor till he smashed into another rock field.

"Roparo!" The lasso came shooting out of the smoke and snared Dracula round his ankle. Alec pulled on it, sending Dracula sprawling to the floor. Alec then jumped through the cloud of garlic, hoping to land on him.

He did.

The force smashed Dracula and Alec into a cavern underneath the rock field. Alec grabbed Dracula, he spun him round and threw him down into ground. Dracula smashed into the ground in a crumpled heap while Alec landed gracefully on the ground. Alec turned around and kicked Dracula away. The snow started to fall heavily through the hole in the roof onto Alec's back. Alec walked over and picked up Dracula again and punched him hard in the face. He continued with the barrage of blows, close quartered combat that Dracula probably wasn't used to.

Alec squeezed his hand round Dracula's throat and smashed him into a wall. He head butted Dracula smashed him into the wall again and then punched him to the ground.

Dracula looked up from the crater Alec had punched him into. Alec went to kick Dracula. Dracula caught his kick. With a murderous glare he threw Alec across the cavern and into the jaggered rocks. Alec cried out as he bounced into the rocks, bouncing a couple of times before slamming into the back of the cavern and then onto his front.

Alec looked up at the debris of the cavern. A thin layer of smoke obscuring his vision of Dracula. Through the smoke he could see Dracula get to his feet. Dracula flew towards him and Alec charged back. Alec grabbed Dracula's shoulders and threw him into another wall of the cavern. Alec then laid down punches on Dracula, he kept on going, but the gas was wearing off.

The blows that were raining down on Dracula soon had no effect. Alec punched Dracula again, but even with Gilgamesh on it felt like punching a steel door. The gas… Dracula cocked his head slightly. Alec took a couple of steps back while Dracula floated up so he was taller than Alec. Alec tried to prepare himself, but Dracula grabbed Alec threw him back through the roof of the cavern at back through to the cavern. Alec smashed into the floor and bounced onto a wall. He needed to get the upper hands before he was over run. Before he could finish Dracula picked Alec up and threw him across the cavern through the stalactites. Alec cried out again as he hit the floor and rolled slowly onto his back. He looked over and saw Dracula slowly getting up so he was on one knee. Even with Gilgamesh he could feel the beating he had just received.

Alec reached underneath his coat and pulled out the grenade launcher. He pulled back the chamber and the shell of the previous grenade came out. Alec grabbed another grenade and loaded. Dracula then flew over to try and stop him. Alec though was able to fire. Dracula though was able to land a blow on Alec and send him flying back before the orange garlic ground.

Alec smashed through the wall of the cavern and smashed onto the floor and landed in a huge crater. Alec groaned and tried to get to his feet but fell down. He was too old for this, even in his prime he would have trouble with this, but even with Gilgamesh he was having his arse handed to him.

SKREEEE

Dracula came hurtling towards him. Ready to deliver the killing blow. Alec reached behind his coat and grasped the handle of rebellion. He waited till Dracula was close enough. He then pulled the sword handle out and the blade shot out.

He swung the sword and connected with Dracula, sending him flying back across the cavern and smashed into the rocks. Alec was breathing deeply he looked down at Rebellion he laughed slightly and turned it in his hand. Alec readied his stance, his eyes scanning the cloud of dust. Dracula stepped out of the dust with a face of thunder.

"That's."

"Rebellion." Alec replied. "The sword of the demon." Dracula smirked and wiped his mouth.

"Well, you really are full of surprises." Alec swivelled the sword in his fingers and readied himself.

Alec looked up and saw Dracula coming toward him with a jaggered piece of rock.

"You can't use the same trick twice." He brought the rock down hard on Alec's head. Alec slumped to the floor. Dracula grabbed Alec by his hair and dragged him slowly across the floor of the cavern.

"You're very resourceful I'll give you that." Dracula said. "I actually felt…mortal for a few minutes. But somehow, you thought you had the upper hand but didn't hit the advantage home."

Alec was only vaguely listening. He was drifting in and out of consciousness as he was dragged across the ground.

"I was told to fear you, and you killed one of my brides, I didn't head that warning. But…I was told, to kill you." Dracula grabbed Alec by the throat and held him so he was dangling above a valley in the cavern.

"But I think that you can prove more useful to me. Then no one can stand in my way." Dracula slowly started to morph into his human/bat hybrid form and bared his fangs. Alec didn't have the strength to fight back. Dracula extended on of his claw like fingers and touched Alec on the chest. Gilgamesh folded back up into its little ball. Dracula grabbed hold of it and threw over the top of the cavern into the snow. He turned back to Alec and bared his fangs before sinking them into Alec.


End file.
